


Daydreams: Volume 1

by treesters



Series: Daydreams [1]
Category: Daydreams - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Childhood, Coping, Family, Mental Health Issues, POV Third Person, Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2019-12-26 13:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18283139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treesters/pseuds/treesters
Summary: Jaden, an orphan who's been anxious to get out of a group home, finally is adopted by a couple. To his surprise, there are more people to meet along the way.





	1. Unconditional Love

The night was long and dreary, as most were for Jaden. He was restless, tossing and turning for countless hours. Occasionally, he'd sit up to look out the window, then he'd lay back down only to listen to a clock, ticking in the distance. While other kids in the group home were sleeping with hopeful futures, he remained awake, not able to look forward to anything. He yearned for the feeling of coming home to something different, a family even. He wanted to be loved, unconditionally. He wanted to be held and fed, he wanted to be taken care of. Constantly he had been cast aside for better kids, but when would it be his turn? When would he be chosen? When would he get a place he could call home?

He rolled over in his bed, facing towards the window and away from his roommates. He clutched his stuffed rabbit close; he called her Fluffy. She was a gift from his grandma, who loved Jaden the most she could until her death. She was the only love he ever knew. He remembered her soft voice, lulling him to sleep on her plush rocking chair. He was what she called her "angel kitten". They always kept the secret that he was her favorite child.

His grip tightened on the rabbit as tears began to well up, grandma's smell was gone. No longer did the faint scent of dust and candles stick to her fur. It was all gone. He closed his eyes, pressing his nose into the soft fur. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Jaden squeezed his eyes tight but the light was still there. The boy turned over into the fetal position, trying to avoid the ungracious morning rays. He pulled his pillow over his head finally blocking out the light, only to reveal a new problem. School time. He dreaded this time of day, the time when most of the other kids got up for school. His social anxiety made it nearly impossible for him to go, so he stayed home with a few other kids like him.

The boy stirred, beginning to sit up. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and the drool from his mouth, looking around. The beds were vacant and made. The others in his room were always early risers, especially for school. He reached under his bed, fishing for his pen. He sat up on his scraped knees to reach the calendar, full of red slashes counting down until his 12th birthday. He pressed the pen to the paper making a slash, June 9th. Not even a month had passed since he was removed from his home. A wave of emotions came over him. He bowed his head squeezing his eyes tight. "Please," he whispered, "please give me a home soon."

After his sentimental moment, the bathroom was his next destination, slamming the door behind him. He pressed his back up against the door, letting out a sigh. Jaden decided it'd be best to go through his morning routine. Brushing his teeth, his messy hair, and putting on a new bandage. Jaden looked at himself in the mirror. He tried to form a smile, the corners of his eyes wrinkles, but it quickly formed into a pout. The only thing that brought him some form of happiness was the pastel yellow polka-dotted bandaid was that across the bridge of his nose.

He quickly left the bathroom, escaping to his bedroom. He plopped himself onto the bed, somewhat hurting his bum. His focus was on Fluffy once more, looking into her brown, beaded eyes.

"Jaden!" A voice rang out. The boy jumped, startled by the sudden noise. He hadn't realized the other kids had already left.

"Hi Mrs. Elbum..." The boy gave a weak wave. Mrs. Elbum, or Melissa Elbum, was a retired assistant chief who helped run the group home. She was so kind and gentle towards everyone. Her slowly graying hair was yet again put into a loose ponytail and she wore her favorite long brown skirt with a sweater.

"You weren't out for breakfast as usual," she stated, crossing her arms. "You're usually so hungry, what's going on?"

"I forgot..." He muttered under his breath, looking down at his dangling feet. "I don't know."

"Talk to me," she sat down next to him, adjusting her skirt. She carefully placed her hand on his back, giving it a slight rub.

"I want to go home," he instinctively pulled his knees up to his chest, leaning against Melissa's side. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, holding him close to her, giving him some form of safety. "I know it's mean but I just want a home."

"I know you do kiddo," she gently reached out her other arm, ruffling his hair. The boy shook his head, fussing and fixing his hair. "But I have good news!"

"Good news?" He let his legs hang off the side of his bed, hope rose up in his chest.

"There's a family who wants to take you for a bit!" She smiled brightly. Before she could even continue the boy tackled her into a hug, not knowing his own strength.

"You're serious!" He fell back, voice cracking with excitement, "Do you think we'll stick?! Do you think I'll stick? Like- like honey?!" He clapped his hands together and made a motion as if they were sticking together. He let the hype get to him too fast, but he was only a child. This is all he wanted.

"Maybe," she giggled softly, seeing the boy so excited was new. His cheeks became rosy with joy. "You might just stick and won't have to come back," she gave him a light poke on his freckled button nose.

"Will I still be able to talk to you Mrs. Elbum? What about Ms. Gryder?" His shoulders fell, his balled fists weren't as tight anymore.

"You're always welcome to," she reached out fixing his bangs.

Jaden practically launched himself into the air, grabbing his backpack that was in a closet across the room. "I'm ready! I wanna see them!" He shouted, running back over to grab Fluffy.

"You have to wait, we've been keeping this a secret for a bit." Melissa pressed a finger against her lips, "They're still signing the paperwork, but want me to help you pack?"

"Yes please!" He started happily jumping on the bed, not caring this time if he broke a spring.

In the office of the home is where the couple who were there to adopt Jaden sat. The sound of the second hand on the clock was the only audible sound besides the tapping of someone's foot.

"Kelly." One woman began to speak in a softer tone. She played with her silver engagement ring on her finger.

Kelly faced her, "Yes, Christina?"

"I'm sorry I basically forced you into this." Christina hung her head, looking down in her lap.

She let out a chuckle, a corner of her mouth forming into a smirk, "You convinced me, not forced me. Two very different things." She ran her fingers through her fiancée's blonde caramel hair.

"What if we don't get him?" She asked with uncertainty.

She hushed her softly. "It'll be okay. But hey, if it works out and we like him...Maybe adoption will be considered," she spoke with hesitance.

"Don't pressure yourself to think about that," she grabbed Kelly's hand and began to trace her palm with her finger, "It'll give you a migraine."

"Trust me, I'm sure I already have one," she groaned, placing her other hand on her face.

Minutes passed and the social worker, Dawn, came in. "Kelly Royle and Christina Dori?" She asked politely. They both turned around to face her.

"Kelly! It's so nice to see you," Dawn chirped, her brown hair bouncing along as she clapped her hands together.

"It's nice to see you too." Kelly muttered, "It's such a coincidence that you're Jaden's social worker." She walked over to the desk and sat down, opening a folder full of Jaden and their paperwork, "Most definitely." The shuffling papers and silence filled the room.

"Kelly Royle and Christina Dori." She studied the papers in front of her, "Both live in Ivywood...Engaged," her words trailed off and it became silent once again.

"So, you will have a maximum of 2 years to take care of him," Dawn began to speak slowly as she sifted through paperwork, "You guys were the fastest I've ever seen approved!"

Christina exhaled loudly, "Thank goodness..." Kelly gave her hand a reassuring pat.

"If you'd like to adopt him, that is an option too. I would recommend fostering him for now to get a feel for him." Dawn closed the folder and placed her hands on top of it, smiling politely, "That's what I did with Miles."

"Okay, thank you." Christina asked, "How is he by the way?"

Dawn's voice became soft as she placed her hand on her chest, "Oh, he's still the sweet child he is. He is going through a hard time, but he's very strong."

She smiled, "That's good."

"Speaking of kids, would you like to take Jaden home now?" Dawn folded her hands, looking at Kelly and Christina back and forth. They both nodded in agreement.

She sat up from her chair, "Please excuse me and I'll go get him right away! Please wait outside the door of the office." They carefully watched her as she walked out of the room before doing the same.

In the living room, Jaden was sitting with Melissa. He had a new backpack full of clothes and belongings he had. He was looking down at his swinging legs with a grin painted on his face.

"Are they ready?" He tugged on Melissa's thin sweater.

She shook her head, "I haven't seen Dawn yet. So, I don't think so." Jaden leaned onto her shoulder and let out a groan. He tightly crossed his arms and blew at his bangs.

The sound of a door opening echoed down a certain hallway. "Jaden!" Dawn sung, peeking out from the corner.

His eyes met hers, which immediately made him jump to his feet, "Are they here, Ms. Gryder?!"

She nodded and brought out her hand as he ran past her, his legs basically defying gravity. Melissa and Dawn shared a laugh at his movement.

Jaden ran down the hallway to face his new foster parents. He looked at two figures that were waiting. One was slightly taller than the other, both women. For sure it was them! He thought.

"Hi," he chirped, fidgeting with his hands and studying them with minimal eye contact.

Christina's eyes welled up a bit as she tried gathering words to say to him. Kelly smiled and patted his head, "Hey there."

"I'm Jaden!" He was about to erupt with happiness.

"Jaden, these are your," Dawn cleared her throat, "moms!"

"I'm Christina," spoke the tall, thin woman who was wearing a white t-shirt underneath a low cut black tank dress. Her hair fell to her mid-back, bangs pulled back by a pin.

Kelly's eyes darted everywhere, "I'm Kelly." She was a bit shorter than Christina, her platinum blonde hair just reaching her shoulders. She wore a salmon pink dress top, along with tan shorts that reached her mid-calf.

He craned his neck to take a glance into a vacant office, "Is there a dad?"

Dawn chuckled, glimpsing at Christina and Kelly, "Nope, just them!"

He stood there for a second, studying the personalities in front of them. The corners of his lips rose again, "That's so cool! I get more moms than anyone else!"

Dawn walked into the living room with the three of them, going over some advice on what they should do and some of Jaden's past as he talked to Melissa. She pulled a folder from underneath her arm, handing it to them with caution, "Keep this safe. Be very careful with him, he's known to have nightmares a lot."

Kelly nodded, fixing the purse that was resting upon her shoulder, "I understand. Are there ways to calm him down?"

"I'm not too sure," she frowned, "I'm sure he'll tell you though. You should be good to go, now. I'll be stopping by soon to make sure everything is okay," she gave them both a reassuring smile.

"Right," Kelly muttered, "thanks again."

Christina nodded along, "This means a lot to us. We promise to call you soon."

Jaden, out of nowhere, shoved himself in the middle of Kelly and Christina, squeezing onto their hands, "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Alright, kiddo," Kelly sighed, wrapping her hand around his.


	2. A New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaden goes to breakfast with his new foster mothers, Kelly and Christina. He meets new people along the way.

Jaden stepped outside and sighed happily. The crisp air flew all around him, his skin tingling. Bees were humming around the vibrant flowers outside of the home, trees softly wrestling about in the wind. It was relieving to be outside, almost breathtaking. The young boy felt free, he felt ecstatic.

"So, where's your favorite place to eat?" Christina turned her head to face him.

Jaden snapped out of it and peered up at her, "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever been to a restaurant before?" She let out an uncomfortable chuckle.

He put a finger on his lip and looked down for a moment. When was the last time he even went out to eat? Forever, he thought to himself, however, thinking more specifically would bring up distinct memories. He shrugged in response, "I have, I guess. I don't know what's my favorite."

Kelly groaned, "Okay, we're going to the local diner. I'm starving." She brought out car keys.

All three of them got into a silver minivan and headed off to town. On the car ride to the diner, it was almost silent, as the sound of quiet music filled the air. Jaden sat on his hands and looked out the window to study the view. Upon looking out, there was a tall sunflower field that barricaded both towns. The town was well kept, potted plants everywhere, the joint buildings had a charm to them. The traffic wasn't all bad either. There were banners scattered accompanying buildings for a festival soon. Ivywood is what the town was called.

They pulled into parking at a plaza with cars almost flooding it. The surrounding places besides the diner were a bookstore, a vacant lot, and a dollar store.

"Finally," Kelly mumbled as she unbuckled her seat belt. "I get to eat."

Christina scoffed, "Kelly, it only took a couple of minutes to get here."

"I know, but I didn't even eat. You usually eat like a protein bar or a fruit before moving on with your day."

She rubbed the back of her head and let out a slight chuckle, "Hah, you're right." Seeing them interact made Jaden place a hand over his mouth and snicker.

They all walked in and were greeted with a hand-written 'sit anywhere sign'. Kelly walked right past it and occupied a tan booth. She sighed happily, "I'm good now."

Christina accompanied her side, "You didn't even eat?"

She put her arm around her partner's shoulder, "I know, but I'm getting closer."

"Anyways... Tell us more about yourself," Christina smiled politely towards Jaden, "Is there anything you like to do?"

He looked down at the table, his cheeks becoming rosy, "Uhm...Well, there's really nothing that special about me, actually."

They both chuckled a bit. "I'm sure there is, everyone is special in their own way," Kelly responded, nudging Christina with her elbow, "Should we start off?"

"I guess," Christina softly spoke, searching her thoughts for a question. "My name is Christina, but since I'm your new mom and so is Kelly, what should you call us?"

Jaden sat there, a bit perplexed. He put his hand on his chin. "I can call you Mama since you're quiet and sweet." He looked towards Kelly's direction, "That means I can call you Mom since that's left over, but I could use 'Ma'... But you act like a cool dad!" He let a wide grin wipe across his face.

"Heh, that's something I haven't heard," She muttered. "I do like the idea though. But look, kid, you're good at something. Reading people."

His face turned a bit red and then he began to swing his feet, "It's not that special..."

"It is, it must be one of those gut feeling talents." Christina spotted the bandage on Jaden's nose, suddenly exclaiming, "Oh! I forgot to ask, why the bandage?" She rested her elbows on the table.

Kelly pointed at her own nose, slightly wiggling her finger, "You do have a scar underneath it. I can sorta see it."

Jaden's face turned a deep red, his freckles nearly blending in, "Huh? No one's supposed to see that."

"Is something wrong with that?" Christina raised her eyebrow.

"I don't want to talk about it..."

Kelly looked at him and sighed. "Look, Jaden," she folded her hands together, "your Mama and I have been through stuff too. I know it may not be the time to talk about it, but you can always later if you need to." Christina nodded along in agreement.

Butterflies flooded his chest and head, weren't they supposed to stay in your stomach? He thought to himself, which made him swallow harshly. "Thank you," he responded in a quiet tone, barely audible.

"Hello! Welcome again," a waiter interrupted the conversation. Jaden peered down at the name tag that was attached to her apron, which read the name "Kelley" in a black text.

"Hi, Kelley. We're back again," Christina chuckled.

Kelley rocked on her heels, "I assume you know what you guys want?"

She quickly glanced at the menu, "Yeah, I think we're good to go."

Kelley took Christina and Kelly's orders. How polite and kind she was, even with Kelly's sarcastic drenched comments.

She grabbed her menu and put it under her arm. "And you? Wait a minute..." Jaden's eyes were glued to the menu, trying to figure out what he wanted.

"Who is this kid?" Kelley muttered to the two adults.

Christina whispered, "That's Jaden! He's our foster kid."

"Oh?" She looked confused, then something clicked, "Oh my god! Oh my god, congrats you guys!"

Jaden looked up with a puzzled expression, "Huh?"

"Oh," she changed the subject quickly, letting out an awkward chuckle, "have you figured out what you wanted?"

"I'm not sure...Can you suggest something for me?" He questioned, scratching his head.

She tapped her pen on her lip, "There's always chocolate milk to drink. You look like you could use bacon and some chocolate chip pancakes too."

He nodded, handing her the menu with shaky hands, "I'll take that."

Kelley wrote down the order, "Okay! It should only be a couple of minutes until it's out." She walked off, conversing with other customers, her ombre brown and copper hair bouncing along with her. Jaden slumped down in the booth, blowing at a piece of hair that was touching his nose.

It was only moments until Kelley came back over and set down everyone's respective orders in front of them. "I hope I got that right!" Kelley smiled, "If I did anything wrong, please tell me."

"Thank you!" Christina responded, holding the hot coffee mug that was placed right in front of her.

Jaden stared at his plate with a fork firmly grasped in one hand. It was two or three chocolate chip pancakes stacked up on top of each other with a dollop of whip cream on top. The steam crept up on his face, giving him a warm, tingling sensation throughout his cheeks. He formed a shaky smile, his eyes welling up. It had been forever since he had a warm meal that wasn't oatmeal from the package.

"What's wrong?" Christina asked, stopping herself from eating.

Jaden grabbed ahold of a butter knife from the napkin his silverware was in, sectioning his pancakes into pieces, "It looks so good."

Kelly laughed, drenching maple syrup all over her pancakes, "Ah, we got an emotional one."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Christina hissed as she nudged her.

The diner was filled with sounds of silverware hitting and scraping against dishes. Small talk was scattered about, the smell of other breakfast and lunch foods creeping out from the kitchen in the back, it was a peaceful environment for some.

Minutes passed and they were out the door. Jaden skipped joyfully full to the car, ahead of both of his moms. He cheerfully waved as he waited for the door to be unlocked.

"Where are we headed now?" Jaden clicked his seatbelt into place.

Christina hummed, "We're on our way home. We'll show you all around the house!"

"Yay!" He began to giggle. Excited, he looked out the window as they pulled out of the diner parking lot.

They pulled into the driveway of Jaden's new home. It was a two-story house with a porch that was small and snug, with colorful trees scattered in the backyard. However, there was a black car in the driveway.

"And someone else is here," Kelly announced with a sigh, pulling out the keys from the ignition.

Christina grabbed Kelly's purse and unbuckled her seat belt, "Do you think it's one of the boys?"

Kelly groaned, hopping out of the car with Jaden and Christina following along, "Most likely. It looks like Lewis' car."

She fiddled with the unlocked door. She was right, however, there were two other men along with Lewis at the table. They all had playing cards in their hands and some were scattered on the table.

"Hey!" Lewis waved as his other hand scratched his growing dark stubble. "Timothy, Thomas and I needed somewhere to be."

"You guys have your own houses." Kelly's face remained a blank slate, "How many times have I told you guys not to come into our house without asking?"

"You did tell us where you kept the spare key," one of the men with ash-blond hair across from him commented. "Plus, Thomas and I tried to keep him in my house, but I guess he can't appreciate the minimalism."

"Way to out me there, Timothy."

He reached out to hold Lewis' hand, giving it a light, affectionate pat, "I'm only saying this because you're my friend and I'm an honest man."

"Have you guys been ignoring the kid?" The bald one hissed.

"They're oblivious, of course, they have been, Thomas." Kelly set down her purse on the table, interrupting their game. "Clean up. Christina had this place spotless."

"Kelly, it's okay," Christina patted her arm, letting out a nervous giggle, "it's best they came over! They can meet Jaden." Jaden awkwardly stood in the doorway, occasionally looking at his shoes and picking at hangnails on his hands.

"Right...C'mon over, kiddo," Kelly waved him over to the table, "don't be shy." He carefully walked to the table after taking off his beat-up shoes.

"Hi, I'm Jaden," his voice became quiet, still dodging any form of eye contact. He fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt.

Christina took his backpack, setting it down next to the table, "He'll be here for a while. So, don't be a bad influence." She became unusually stern.

"That's the Christina I didn't want to see," Lewis sulked.

"I don't want him spewing out inappropriate jokes all the time."

"I'll make a good impression," Lewis turned to face the nervous child. "I'm Lewis!" He held out his hand.

Jaden slowly put out his hand to shake Lewis', "Hi." The handshake went on for a bit longer than anticipated.

"Let me guess, you like art?" Lewis asked, letting go of his hand.

His brown eyes widened a bit, "H-how do you know?"

"You finally got that to work," Thomas muttered, putting down his cards.

"It works more than you think." Lewis rolled his eyes, "What do you draw though? You've sparked my interest."

"Oh, I actually have a book," he giggled, "hold on!"

Jaden grabbed his backpack and rummaged through the clothes and various items he brought from the home. He pulled out a black spiral notebook, staring at it for a minute. Everything he drew belonged in his book. He clutched at the notebook, scared to let anyone else touch it.

"I don't know how to explain my art, but it looks like this." He opened the notebook towards Lewis' direction.

The notebook was decorated with different styles of art. Most of the art was in a cartoon style, sometimes there would be some still life. The coloring was a bit choppy, as some of the colors were outside of the lines.

"Ah...That's new." Lewis hummed, "It's not anime."

"Huh?" Jaden stuttered.

He leaned back, taking the notebook into his hands with care, "Anime. Japanese animation." He flipped through the pages, "I'm an art teacher, it's crazy how many high schoolers draw in that style. You have some potential, kid."

His eyes lit up like stars, "You're an art teacher?!"

"Yessir," Lewis nodded with a confident smirk. "Did anyone else tell you what their jobs were?"

He shook his head slowly with hesitation, "No, I just met everyone."

He laughed and then placed the notebook back in his hands, "Perfect."

He stood up and cleared his throat. He suddenly pointed towards Kelly. "Kelly is a science tutor, still going to school so she can teach a science class. She hasn't been too successful with that, but we support her."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Lew," she groaned, pouring coffee into a mug. "To let you know, it's been picking up." She took a long sip from her mug, puckering up her lips after swallowing.

He grinned with a thumb up, pointing to Christina, her face turning red, "Christina takes care of the elderly like the mom she is."

"As you know, I'm the art teacher," Lewis proudly announced, leaving everyone else in the room sulking.

Jaden snickered to himself. Lewis was quite amusing to be around, brought energy to the table, and he was surprisingly hyper and childish for someone his age.

Lewis walked over to Thomas and Timothy and gave their shoulders a loud pat. "These two guys are coaches. Thomas is football, Timothy is baseball."

"How come we were the only ones with a normal introduction to our jobs?" Timothy turned around to face Lewis, giving him a cheeky grin.

"I dunno. Why not?"

"It was fairly rude to Christina and Kelly." Thomas added, "You could at least apologize."

"Don't even get me started on your story, Tom." Lewis gave him a light pat on his freshly shaved head. Thomas groaned in response, swatting his hand politely away from him.

Jaden tilted his head, confused, "You know a lot."

Kelly glanced at Jaden, taking a sip of her coffee, "He's the storyteller."

"Storyteller?"

"I gave him that nickname when we all met. Lewis has intel on everyone, it's kind of scary," she shivered at the thought. "He also reads people very well, like you."

"Ah," He kept his glance down at the ground once more.

"So, lunch—" Lewis continued.

"You missed it," Kelly bluntly replied.

He groaned, letting go of Timothy's shoulders. "I guess I'll have to stop by a fast-food joint." He grabbed the playing cards off of the table and stuffed them into a small cardboard box, "Well, I'll be off then."

Thomas and Timothy both got up from their seats, Thomas let out a cough, "You have to give us a ride back."

Lewis turned himself around, his eyes wide and chuckling, "Right! I knew that."

"We'll be back tomorrow for breakfast," Thomas said, straightening out his shirt.

Christina nodded, "Good! Maybe Jaden will get to know you guys more."

"That'd be great." Thomas let a quick smile slip. "Okay, let's go," he turned to his friends.

After saying their goodbyes, it became strangely silent. The house was drained from all the energy and conversation. Jaden turned around to face his foster mothers, who made sure their friends safely left the lot, "Are they always here?"

"Quite often," Christina mumbled, "It's a bit exhausting. They're like children."

"Not Thomas, he's reserved," Kelly commented, sitting down on the L shaped sofa by the front door.

Christina sat next to Kelly, leaving space for Jaden to squeeze in, "Ah, you're right. He's okay to be around. He does intimidate me from time to time."

"I've noticed," Kelly took a sip of her coffee, "But he's pretty funny at times."

"I suppose...He has fairly dry humor."

Kelly set down her cup on the coffee table in front of her with a scoff, "Welcome to the club."

Jaden squeezed himself in the middle of them, letting his legs sway slowly, "What about Timothy?"

"Oh, Timothy and Lewis are one and the same," Christina said with a laugh. "He's also humorous, but in a different way."

"His jokes are all," Kelly's words drifted off for a moment, "about guys."

"Well, they are is his type," Christina commented softly.

The conversation went on, Jaden's mothers commenting about Lewis, Thomas, and Timothy. He would join in and ask questions occasionally, trying to learn more about them through his mothers, despite them being somewhat biased.

The clock struck six. The TV illuminated the living room to the best of its ability as the sky turned from a deep purple to black. The stars twinkled dimly in the sky, clouds dancing along with them. The cool summer air lingered throughout the house as Jaden was fast asleep, his head on Christina's lap and his legs on Kelly's. Christina was playing around with his soft hair, sighing happily.

"What was that about?" Kelly asked drowsily.

Christina looked up at her, eyes twinkling, "I'm happy to finally have a son. It's all I've ever wanted."

Kelly studied both of them. She let the corners of her mouth curl, then quickly clearing her throat, "Let's get him to bed."

"You're right, but I love being here...In this moment."

"We can always tuck him in."

"Yeah..."

Kelly softly shook Jaden, "I'm gonna pick you up, kiddo." He responded with a sluggish groan, as he was still mostly asleep. She picked him up, straining slightly and holding him almost like a toddler. Christina followed behind.

Upstairs, they opened a door to a mostly empty guest room, one right across from their bedroom. Kelly cruising straight into it, laying down Jaden onto the bed.

"It's not the best, but I hope it'll do for now," Kelly muttered to him, fixing the pillow's position.

Christina walked in with a spare blanket, setting it on top of him, "It's always been a bit cold in here." She tucked his stuffed rabbit underneath the blanket along with him.

"Yeah, I hope it'll be okay."

"I'm going to go get ready for bed," Christina smiled, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart." Kelly kept her eyes fixated on Jaden until she left the room.

Once the room became quiet, Kelly sat at the edge of Jaden's bed, making the mattress dip slightly. She folded her hands together, resting her elbows on her thighs.

He stretched his legs, letting out another groggy groan, "Mom?"

She swiftly turned around, looking at him, "Yes?"

"Can you tuck me in too?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes.

She got up from her stop, grabbed the blanket and lifted it up to his shoulders, "Are you gonna be okay with the light off?" He nodded, making a humming sound. "Okay, kiddo." Kelly ruffled his hair, "I'll see you tomorrow."

As she was about to head out, she halted in her tracks. She remained there for a split second, halfway through the doorway, "I promise you're safe now."

"You can't always keep promises," Jaden murmured back.

Kelly looked back as the fluorescent light hit the front of her body. Her lips pursed, then flattening out. "I know, but I can at least try. You're the only one I'll get." Then, she disappeared, leaving the door slightly cracked.

That night, there were no such things as nightmares.


	3. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaden wakes up in his new house, seeing that his family friends are there to join him with having breakfast with his mothers. However, a couple of old faces stop by the house to check up on him.

The smell of pancakes slowly trickled into Jaden's room as he was huddled up with Fluffy and his blanket. He rubbed his eyes as he let out a soft groan. He rose from his bed, fixing his bedhead. Grabbing his blanket and pulling it around his shoulders, he headed out to the living room.

As he traveled down the stairs, he heard familiar voices again. There he saw Lewis and Timothy on the couch, while Thomas, Kelly, and Christina were in the kitchen. When he finally reached the final step, he let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms out.

"Oh hey, Jaden!" Lewis waved, his voice sounded groggy. Jaden waved and let out a barely audible "hello" back. "How did you sleep?" He asked.

"He fell asleep around six," Kelly shouted from the kitchen.

"Wow!" Lewis chuckled, "You sure were tired." He nodded in response, still a bit dazed.

Christina walked over and tapped Jaden's shoulder, "What do you like to eat for breakfast?"

He turned around quickly and held tightly onto his blanket, "Oh, well, I usually eat oatmeal. On rare occasions, I eat eggs or pancakes."

"Well, we're making eggs and pancakes. Would you like a specific way for me to cook it?" She smiled softly.

His face slightly turned rosy, "Uhm, scrambled would be nice." He started walking towards the kitchen to check up on everyone else.

"Hey, kiddo," Kelly greeted him, cracking eggs into a bowl, "How did you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess." He slumped over to the table, resting his head on it with a mumble, "I don't know why I slept so long."

"It's because we have decent beds. The one's Melissa has are usually made with bad quality because they're cheaper." Kelly responded as she whisked eggs.

"Hmmm," he hummed, "I guess you're right."

Thomas closed the newspaper and set it down on the table. His icy blue eyes studied Jaden, "I haven't been able to talk to you much. I'm Thomas."

Jaden slowly looked up as he was met with Thomas' hand. He put out his hand and shook his, "I'm Jaden."

He quickly let go of his hand, retracting it back to his newspaper, "It's good to meet you again. Is drawing all you do in your free time?"

"I like coloring too. Taking walks is fun too." He closed his eyes with a sigh. Upon quickly opening them, he asked, "What about you?"

"I enjoy football and writing about current events." He pointed at the newspaper, "I had one of my writings in the newspaper."

"Ah, that's so cool—"

Timothy strolled up behind Jaden, leaning on his chair, "He likes to write poems about his wife sometimes."

Thomas rubbed his temple, speaking through his teeth, "Not in front of the kid."

"I'm not going into detail. I wanted to add that they're beautiful."

"I suppose," his fingers trailed to his nose, rubbing the bridge slightly, "it's dumb stuff that comes from the heart."

"I bet it's not dumb," Jaden declared, "if it comes from the heart, it has to be good. That was Mrs. Elbum always said to me."

"Not always," Thomas uttered, almost so he wouldn't hear. "Sometimes, it's not so good to others since it's emotional and they may not know the pain." He kept his eyes on the newspaper.

"I'm sure everyone in this room knows the pain of grieving," Kelly commented.

He shrugged, quickly trying to drop the subject, "I guess I'm stuck in the negative mindset."

Timothy walked over, taking away the newspaper from Thomas' hands. "We're always here for you, Tom."

"Don't...Call me that." He muttered.

The room went silent as Timothy sighed, putting the newspaper back on the table. His face showed only disappointment or concern in disguise. "You do you." He scoffed, heading to a seat in the middle of Jaden and Thomas. It remained silent as Thomas grabbed the newspaper tightly, hiding his face behind it.

"Breakfast is almost done," Christina mentioned, putting fresh pancakes on a big plate.

Kelly whispered, "But the eggs..."

"The eggs are quick to cook, don't worry," She said, squeezing the sides of Kelly's face together with a smile.

Time passed and Christina finished off the breakfast. She separated them onto different plates for the six of them, then set down a plate in front of everyone.

The steam poured from the plate onto his face, making him feel a fuzzy, warm feeling from yesterday. Jaden tapped Thomas' shoulder and asked for the maple syrup. Thomas complied, handing him the bottle. The kitchen filled with the sounds of dishes and silverware clanking together. Jaden shoved his food into his mouth to keep himself silent. Everyone was so happy with Christina's food, that no one spoke. Unless breakfast here was always like this.

Everyone finished and in unison, sighed happily.

"Another breakfast well done, Christina," Lewis said with a joyful tone. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," she smiled brightly, "I always enjoy cooking for you all."

"I vote that we have hash browns and egg sandwiches tomorrow," Timothy hummed. Thomas looked at him with disgust.

"You know, for a baseball coach, you don't eat properly."

"You know, for a football coach, you're really sassy," he mocked him.

Kelly grabbed the dishes from both of them, "You know, you're both a little too childish to be coaches for any sport."

Lewis busted out in laughter, "She got you guys on that one."

"You're already childish enough for your job," She replied, rolling her eyes. She gently placed the dishes in the sink.

"Rude," He crossed his arms. He pouted for a couple of seconds, then his face lit up, "Does anyone have any plans today?"

Christina looked up at the clock on the kitchen wall, "I'm afraid I do. I have to go to work in a few. I should get ready." Realizing what she said, she swiftly went up to the stairs.

Jaden swung his legs at the table, "Are you doing anything today, Lewis?"

"Nah, work doesn't start until September for me," he said, shrugging. "Same with Thomas and Timothy."

"Well," Thomas interjected, "it starts in August for me."

Timothy scoffed, "That's cause it's football season."

Kelly walked into the living room, interrupting the conversation, "I have to go give Christina something. If the doorbell rings, answer it."

"Yes, ma'am," Lewis grinned with a salute.

Kelly rushed up the stairs and headed to the master bedroom's bathroom. She held her breath and hesitantly knocked. "Christina?" She called out.

"Yes?" She answered.

"Can I come in?" Kelly asked, keeping her focus on the floor.

Christina opened the door, already dressed for work. "Yeah, you're always welcomed in. There's no need to ask, silly."

Kelly's face became red, "You look nice. The blouse compliments your eyes."

"You're so sweet," a warm smile appeared on her face."Oh, right. Make-up!" She straightened out her green blouse, then scavenged through her make-up bag.

"Uhm—" Kelly muttered. She carefully watched her partner apply mascara on. "Thank you."

Christina batted her eyelashes, "For what?"

Kelly walked over and sat on the toilet seat, "Last night, I said something last night when I tucked Jaden in. And I actually meant it."

"What do you mean?" Christina glanced at Kelly.

"I told him he was safe, that everything was going to be okay." She folded her hands together, "I don't know how I worked up the courage to say it."

Christina snickered a bit. She turned to Kelly, "You finally realized it was going to be okay."

"I still have my doubts though," Kelly grumbled, "I don't think I'll be a good mom."

Christina rolled her eyes, then placed gently put her hands on Kelly's cheeks, "Sweetheart, I'm sure you'll be great. He already likes you."

"How can you even tell?"

"I can," she planted a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry about it too much, just keep being yourself. He needs a role model like you."

Kelly had a small smile on her face. She suddenly stood up and brought Christina into a hug. They stood there for a minute, as Christina was a bit frozen. After a few, she wrapped her arms around Kelly. She chuckled softly, "You're never a hugger."

"I don't care." Kelly buried her head into her fiancée's shoulder. "You're the only person I'm comfortable hugging."

Suddenly, the moment was ruined by the loud sound of someone knocking. Kelly quickly pulled away from the hug. She looked like she was a deer in headlights, "Is that—"

"Ms. Gryder!" Jaden shouted, "Miles!"

Dawn smiled, resting her hands on Miles' shoulders. "Hi, Jaden! Are Kelly and Christina here?"

"They're both upstairs! Mama's getting ready for work." Jaden paused, "Ah, uhm...Christina!"

"Oh! Is it okay that we come in?" She asked, peering through the door.

Jaden nodded, opening the door a bit more. "Lewis, Thomas and Timothy are here!"

Miles eagerly tugged on Dawn's poncho. "Mom, it's the art man," he pointed at Lewis.

Dawn grabbed his hand gently, "Don't point sweetheart, it's rude." Her voice was stern, yet gentle and sweet.

Miles peered over at him, "Sorry, art man."

Lewis laughed softly, "Don't worry about it, you two."

Jaden hugged Miles with great power, "Miles!"

Miles leaned back, grimacing, "Oh hey, Mom told me you'd be here." He fixed his almond-colored hair.

"Yeah yeah! You should meet my moms!" Jaden let go of him, beaming with excitement.

Miles tilted his head, "Moms? I thought the art man was your dad."

"No, no. It'd be really funny though!" Jaden looked at Lewis, then smiled. "He's more like an uh...An uncle!"

Miles smirked a bit, letting out a funny chuckle, "That's funny." He fixed the collar of his dress shirt, "I have a lot to talk about."

"Come sit down! We can talk about it," Jaden grabbed onto Miles' hand and brought him to the couch. They both sat right next to Lewis. Jaden clutched onto his blanket, looking at his friend in the eyes.

"So, tell me about everything!" Jaden blurted out, "I haven't even seen you since a couple of months ago!"

"Right." Miles scratched the back of his head, letting out a weird humming sound. "We have a cat."

"Oh! What kind?" Jaden started shaking his leg with excitement.

He waved at Dawn, "Hey mom? What type of cat is Whiskers?"

Dawn looked up from her phone, "He's a Norwegian Forest Cat! He's such a beautiful cat."

"Yeah yeah! He's also super soft," a slight grin appeared on Miles' face, "it's like those nice fur carpets rich people have."

"Wow, when did you get him?" Jaden asked.

Miles tapped his chin, "I think maybe in June? I don't remember... You should come over to meet him."

"That's so cool! We should have a sleepover!" Jaden giggled, "I really want a dog of some sort."

"Dogs are too much for me," he shook his head. "My aunt has a dog and he's too hyper for me."

The chattering was interrupted by Kelly and Christina joyfully walking down the stairs. Christina was all dressed up, ready for work, while Kelly was still in her clothes from before.

"Oh, we have visitors!" Christina cheerfully exclaimed, "I'm so sorry I have to leave so soon." She put her purse over her shoulder and patted Kelly's back.

"Right, uhm," Kelly tried gathering words to say. She shoved her hands in her hoodie pocket, "Welcome back, Dawn." Her voice sounded uneasy at best.

Dawn smiled, walking up to Kelly, "It's been a bit." She let out a chuckle.

"Oh yeah," a nervous laugh slipped out. "I'm so sorry but, I have to drive Christina to work; do you mind staying here for a bit with the boys?" She sighed, running her hands through her hair.

Dawn nodded, "Of course. Miles wanted to see Jaden anyways."

"That's nice," Kelly added, some form of sadness became apparent in her eyes. "I guess I'll be off then." She took Christina's hand in hers as they walked out the door.

Dawn looked at the door. She wrung her hands, worried about her dear cousin. She then looked back at Miles and Jaden, engaged in a conversation. She smiled softly as it reminded her of her own childhood. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by Lewis, who popped into her line of view.

"Oh! Hello again, Lewis." She smiled politely.

Lewis patted Dawn's head, "Hello, shorty."

Dawn's cheeks puffed up, "Don't call me that. You're only 3 more inches taller than me."

"I know, it's cute," Lewis smirked. "Do you want anything to drink or eat? Christina made breakfast, I'm sure it's still lukewarm."

She glanced over, then nodded, "Of course. Thank you for the offer." They both headed toward the kitchen together.

Lewis scraped what was left of the leftovers onto a plate for her. With shaky hands, he set down the meal in front of her. "Do you want any coffee or," he halted, waiting for her to respond.

"This is just fine," she smiled up at him, "I do ask that you keep me company." She scooted a chair out with her foot.

He instantly sat down, "Well, it'd be rude if I didn't accompany you."

"You're a goofball," she giggled, cutting into the pancakes. Her giggles were oddly contagious.

He admired her while leaning his head on his hand. He pursed his lips, then snapped out of the headspace he was in. He cleared his throat, patting at his thighs, "Oh, uhm. So, how's Miles?"

She paused and set down her silverware, "He's still the wonderful child you know, Lew. He's still drawing because of you."

"Ah," he scratched at his scruff, almost embarrassed, "he does?"

She rolled her eyes playfully, "Of course. You did teach him a lot after all."

Lewis rubbed the back of his head, letting out a small chuckle in response. The two continued catching up on small, pointless things. Despite that, the two enjoyed each other's company.

Kelly opened the door to the house and studied everyone. They were all conversing and seemingly enjoying their time. She gently set down her purse on the table by the couch.

"Hey," She spoke with a warm smile, ruffling his hair.

Jaden looked up at her with sparkles in his eyes, then smiled back, "Hi, Mom! Have you met Miles yet?"

"I actually have, it's nice to see him again." She then asked, "Can I sit here?"

He nodded, scooting more towards Miles to let her take a seat right, "Here you go!"

She sat down, feeling a bit cramped. Suddenly, Jaden sat on her lap with his blanket still around himself. She shook her head with a smile and gently wrapped her arms around him.

After a bit of conversation, he turned to Kelly and asked, "When does Mama get home?"

"Oh, uhm," she paused mid-way through her sentence, looking at the clock, "I think around seven."

"Okay!" He exclaimed.

The conversations would then carry on throughout the afternoon until eventually, everyone had to leave.


	4. Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaden wakes up from a nightmare and goes to his mothers for comfort. However, he asks Kelly about how she proposed to Christina, this leading to a flashback about how she proposed to her fiancée.

The sun setting made a beautiful mixture of oranges, reds, and blues in the sky. The lukewarm air settled in the house, as all the windows were open. It was a peaceful, summer night in Ivywood, ones that everyone loved.

Jaden rubbed his eyes as he peered at the clock above the TV. It was almost 9 PM, the longest he's stayed up since he left his old home. The day wore him out, as he talked his heart out the entire day with his friends and family.

He jumped off of the couch and tapped Christina. "Mama, can you tuck me in?" He asked politely.

She nodded, getting up with him, "Alrighty, I'm sorry Mom isn't here to tuck you in too."

"I understand," he said, as they walked to the stairs together, hand in hand.

He stood in the doorway of his bedroom. The bedroom filled him with a sense of emptiness. But whenever Kelly or Christina tucked him in, he felt a bit better. He felt better knowing he had more people to watch over him.

"I'm sorry you have to sleep in such an empty room, sweetheart," Christina apologized, ruffling his dark hair.

He looked up at her, giving her a warm smile, "It's okay. Can we buy a different blanket soon?" His eyes sparkled at the thought of getting something new.

"Of course," she said as she followed him to his bed. "Maybe we can buy you some more stuff for your room too," she gave him a kiss on his forehead, following it up with a pat on his head. She grabbed Fluffy and placed it under the blanket with him. "If you need anything, wake me up. Okay?"

He smiled, snuggling his stuffed rabbit, "I will! Goodnight, Mama."

She switched off the light in the room, "Goodnight, Jaden." She left the door slightly cracked as she left. He brought the blanket and Fluffy closer to his face as he slowly drifted off to sleep...

 

A tight knot formed in the child's stomach as he looked around. The broken mirror he was facing himself in, the off-white walls that were covered in scribble marks, his old bed. He looked down at himself, his gray shirt and worn-out shorts. He looked at himself in the mirror again, the scar on his nose more prominent than ever. He was in his childhood room.

He turned around in a panic, seeing Fluffy on his old bed. He raced to the bed to hold onto it, as it was his comfort item. Everything felt slow and disoriented.

There was a loud bang on the door. Then a shout. A familiar shout, one that made his heart race and his eyes well up.

"Jaden," The voice called out. He covered his ears. It was more grating and louder than it usually was.

"Jaden!" The door swung open. And there was his birth mom. She stood there, paper in hand with her purse under her arm.

"M-Mom, I didn't know you were back," his words trailed off.

"Are you telling people false claims about us? What's your gain?" She shouted as she inched closer to him with each sentence, "CPS has been trying to get on our asses because of you! We do nothing to you, and you treat us like this?"

His eyes darted everywhere. He then looked down at his arms which were covered in his long sleeves. He softly put his hand on his arm and winced. "H-he is still hurting me," Jaden stuttered.

"I'm calling bull," she rolled her eyes, "I've never seen him lay a hand on you un-playfully."

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing some bruises, "See, he does! He still hurts me, Mom!"

"It's because you're frail!" She shouted back.

She got in his face, gripping on his shirt collar, "Do you even know how much shit we do for you? Do you understand that I bust my ass every day to pay the bills? Do you know your brother calls me every day, telling me that you're always misbehaving and getting bad grades?" She gritted her teeth, "You're a problem child."

He tried shoving her away as tears poured down his face. She let go of her grip, leaving him to fall onto the ground.

She continued to talk, but he placed his hands on his ears and continued to sob. Her words became a sound of white noise, making his teeth clench together tightly. He shut his eyes tightly. Everything became a silent, deafening sound.

 

Jaden opened his eyes, breathing heavily. The room was dark besides the warm light from the hallway pouring in.

He sat up, still holding Fluffy in his hands. He buried his face into its fur, trying to find comfort in it. He glanced toward the door, remembering what Christina had told him earlier.

"Mama," he gently spoke, as he saw both her and Kelly up in bed still.

"Sweet angel, what are you doing up?" Christina softly asked.

He walked over to Christina's side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her without a word.

"What's wrong?" Kelly asked frantically. "Did something happen?"

He nuzzled his head further into her arms, "I don't want to tell."

She looked at Christina, a bit confused. "What's going on?"

"He had a nightmare, I think," she muttered, petting his head. "I always check on him before we come back in here. He was passed out."

Kelly patted the space between her and Christina, "Come here, kiddo."

Jaden climbed up on the bed, muttering, "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry," Kelly placed her phone on her nightstand. "Let's play a game."

"A game?" He responded, confusion in his voice.

She nodded her head, "Mama and I play it when she's in a bad place too."

"Ooh, I know this game," Christina softly spoke, placing her hands in her lap.

She cleared her throat, facing Jaden, "So, where would your ideal happy place be?"

He sat there, putting his finger on his chin. He thought about it, then remembered the sunflower field he saw when he first met Kelly and Christina.

"The sunflower field," he quickly faced her. "It makes my chest feel fuzzy."

"Ah, I proposed to Christina there," she recalled. "What else do you like about it?" She asked.

He looked down, "It makes me feel free. Like she's not going to hurt me anymore. The flowers will hide me. I think they're tall enough to do that..."

"Who?" Christina asked.

He kept his gaze to his lap. He then whispered, "I saw my mom in my dreams. I don't want her to come back."

She gently placed her hand on his cheek. "She won't ever come back, I promise. Mom and I are here to protect you."

He nodded, his eyes welling up, "okay." His voice was shaky and weak. He let out a sniffle and suddenly asked, "How did you two get married?"

The women both sat there a bit awkwardly. They exchanged glances and giggled.

"We aren't married yet," Kelly said as she looked at the engagement band on her fiancée's finger, "however, I can tell you the story on how she got the ring."

"Can you tell me?" He let a grin wipe across his face. "Maybe it'll help me feel better."

"Alright," she exhaled, "let's see where to begin..."

May 20th, 2012 was the day Kelly was going to purpose. Her stomach was in knots as she pulled up to her girlfriend's house. Her hands gripped the steering wheel as she looked down at her lap. She tapped her head against the center of it, accidentally honking the car. She jumped in response, pushing up her round glasses quickly.

She turned her attention toward the door of Christina's house to focus on something else. The front yard was decorated and taken care of well, the flowers thriving and so were the shrubs. She saw Christina come out the door. She adjusted her dress and was quickly hugged by her dad. She twirled around to face Kelly's car, waving to her, then back at her dad.

"Hey!" Christina chirped as she opened the door to her girlfriend's car. She sat down, flattening out her dress and putting her purse on her lap. Her hair was up in a ponytail today. "Are we having a picnic date?"

"Yep," she nodded. She shifted the car into drive, "We're going to your favorite place too."

A gasp escaped her mouth, "The sunflower field?"

She looked at her partner and nodded with a big grin on her face. They both giggled a bit.

"Didn't we go there for our first date?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah, we did," Kelly began to feel the sweat building up in her palms. Of course, she had to point that out before anything else.

Christina smiled, "Well, I can't wait."

They had arrived at the field. The yellow flowers were tall, stealing the spotlight from the sun, but there was a small pathway where there was a trail. They both hopped out of the car and headed toward the path.

It was quiet besides the crunching of the grass. The two of them bathed in the warm sunlight as they walked. Kelly sighed to herself out of relief. The sky seemed to be only scattered with light clouds, not a storm cloud in sight. They both arrived at a familiar place, a small circle patch in the middle of a huge field.

"This is still here?" Christina giggled under her breath, "How...?"

She looked around, holding a picnic basket in her hand, "Laura helped me. She's really helpful in these situations."

"In what situations?" She questioned.

"Uh," she puffed up her cheeks, then exhaled, "with dates and stuff. You know, since she's married and all."

"Right," she chuckled.

Kelly took out a blanket from the basket and set it down neatly onto the grass. She sat herself down on top of it and placed the basket in the middle. "Care to join me?"

She nodded, snuggling right next to Kelly, "What did you pack?"

"Erm," she rummaged through the basket, "just pastries and such. I know you like sweets a lot."

"Aww," she cooed, "you're the sweet one here." She reached out her hand to pinch her cheek. She let out a quiet laugh in response, her cheeks warming up as a response.

The two sat there, eating pastries, sweets, and sipping on drinks. They both laughed and giggled over simple memories from college, high school and other things. The sun slowly started setting over the time they were talking, the two unaware of how much time they spent talking together.

The orange and pink sky loomed over Kelly, the breeze going through her blond hair. The moon was opaque in the sky. She placed a hand over the pocket in her pants in which the case for the engagement ring was in.

"We should get going," Christina said softly, picking up the basket.

She nodded in response. She leaned her head forward. "Before we go," she began quietly, as her partner started heading off.

"Hm?" She turned around to face her.

"I've known you for a long time, and I really love you." Her face had become a bright red tint. "And I know we've been through a lot and it's hard for me to communicate my feelings at times. But I feel very comfortable around you, I've never felt like this before." She reached into her pocket and got on one knee, her face practically a pure red at this point.

"Christina?"

"Y-yes?"

"Will you marry me?"

Christina covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears. "I..." She sniffed and stuttered over her words. She uncovered her mouth to reveal the biggest smile Kelly has ever seen. She nodded, speechless, reaching down to hug her and letting out a loud sob.

Christina stared down at her engagement ring, smiling happily as Kelly wrapped up the ending of the story. She was twirling her hair with her index finger, as she normally did when she was flustered. She looked at Jaden, who was asleep, curled up between them. They both looked at each other and laughed.

"I guess that put him to sleep," Kelly snickered.

She nodded, "Maybe it was for the best. He needs sleep after all." She ran her fingers through his messy, yet soft hair. "I hope he finds someone as great as you when he's older."

She glanced towards both Jaden and Christina's direction, then back down at the blanket. "Well, I hope he finds someone as sweet and caring as you. He'll need it in his life."

"You're too adorable, Kell." She remarked as she leaned over to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Kelly returned the kiss, planting it on her lips. "We should go to bed."

"Yeah..." She rubbed the back of her head, messing up her blond hair. She put her head on the pillow, letting out a sigh.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, angel."


	5. Saint Bernard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelly's friend, Heather, has found an abandoned dog. She thinks it might help Jaden cope better, so she goes to visit her. Along the way, Jaden makes a new friend.

"Do you think he'll be okay with it?" Christina asked, turning to Kelly.

"He will. It'll be his companion," Kelly remarked. "Heather found this poor pup all alone. Plus, it could help with his nightmares he's been having lately."

She looked at her fiancée's laptop screen. On it were multiple pictures of one puppy, to be more specific, a Saint Bernard. She let out a sighed, "He is really cute. I've always wanted a dog in the house."

"I think I'll pick him up," she said, replying to one of Heather's messages, "Do you think you could make the house more... Dog-proof?"

"Of course!" Christina's face lightened up, planting a kiss on her cheek.

 

The sunlight of late July was harsh. The entire car was hot, and Jaden felt as if he was practically melting. He leaned his head against the window of the car, trying to absorb some form of coolness. The field of grass was tall, but not as tall as the sunflowers. They reached the part of town where there were barely any houses. The path to a different town.

He let out a loud whine, "Mom, why can't we turn on the AC?"

"Because we'll be at Heather's in a few seconds, she has an AC at her house," Kelly said, turning onto a long dirt road.

He scoffed, then continued to stare out the window. "Where are we even going to do there?"

"You'll see, be patient." She smirked, nudging him slightly with her elbow.

They finally pulled into a driveway right next to a white truck. The house was small, gray and white with a red barn in the back. Everything looked aged, yet there was something so comforting about it. Horses were out in the barn and two dogs playing in the yard with a boy. A boy with light brown hair and a red shirt, a boy of Jaden's age.

"Alright, we're here," Kelly tapped Jaden, trying to get his attention. "Be kind, this is one of my best friends besides Christina." Both let out a laugh at her comment. "But seriously, be nice."

As they both exited the car, a tall woman with long, blond curly hair walked up to the car, "Hello!" Jaden had to look up, as he was shorter than her, and the same with Kelly.

"Hello, Heather," Kelly responded, scratching the back of her head. "Is Mathias here?"

"Yep, he's playing with Patches and Zeus. We just washed Midnight and the dog we found." She responded, tightening her ponytail. "You wanna see them?" She asked.

"Maybe Jaden can meet Mathias," she patted Jaden's back, catching his attention once more. He looked around, trying to find the boy he saw. That has to be Mathias, he thought to himself.

"Right! That'll be great." She nodded, then leaned down to face Jaden more evenly. Her cold, icy eyes looked right into his, "I'm Heather, by the way. I hope you and Mathias can be great friends." She tried to smile, but it looked a bit off and funny to him.

"I'm Jaden." He beamed, "I hope he and I can be friends too!"

"He's by the barn playing with the dogs, you really can't miss him." She said, pointing towards the open field with a barn, "The dogs are friendly too, don't worry." Jaden nodded, then walked anxiously towards the field.

The air didn't seem as warm anymore, there was a slight breeze of warm air. But it felt nice against his skin. He fixed his hair and made sure his bandage was sticking on his nose right. He then saw the boy again. Mathias.

He looked at him for a bit, how he looked so happy playing with the two dogs in the yard. His laughter seemed to fill the air, it was full of happiness and joy of childhood.

"H-hello!" Jaden called out to him. Mathias then stopped, his curly, messy hair was all in his face and he had to fix it. His facial expression showed that he was a bit startled. He blinked a couple of times, then dropped the ball in front of the two dogs.

"Hello?" He sounded confused. He looked like a confused puppy to Jaden.

"I'm Jaden," he squeaked, "I- Well, uhm, my mom is here with your mom! They thought we'd get along and..." His words trailed off. He was embarrassed by himself.

He looked at him for a bit and then smiled. "I'm Mathias. Call me Matt, Mathias sounds too fancy for me." He then laughed awkwardly. Jaden joined in the laughter.

Mathias looked back at the dogs, "Do you wanna play with them? They're super cool and friendly."

He studied the dogs, both rough-housing over the ball that Mathias was holding. They were both big, one was a bit more petite than the other.

He pointed at the dog with a brown and black coat and his ears pointing up, "That's Zeus. He's a Dutch Shepherd! He's super strong." He then pointed to the other dog, whose coat was black, white and cream, with floppy ears, "And that's Patches. She's been with my mother for 5 years and she's an Australian Shepherd."

"Wow," Jaden muttered under his breath, "Ms. Heather must really like shepherds."

He scratched the back of his head, "Heh, I guess. I also have a dog of my own! Her name is Camo, she's in the barn, however..." He started walking towards the red building, Jaden following behind.

"How come?" He asked, curiosity filling his voice.

He shrugged, "She likes it in there when it's hot." He opened the door to the barn, whistling, "Camo!"

A black lab ran across the barn to Mathias, her claws scratching against the wood floor. He knelt to the ground, put his arms out and she pounced on him. He let out a laugh, "Camo!" She licked his face several times.

Jaden stood there, rubbing the back of his head, "When did you get her?"

"I got her on my 10th birthday." He smiled, scratching right behind her ears, "My mom said that she's basically my responsibility. I feed her, take her out, bathe her." He mumbled to her, using a sweet voice, "You grew so much, but you're still a puppy."

"Oh!" He exclaimed, fiddling with his hands, "Is she friendly?"

He sat up, nodding, "Oh yeah, she loves making new friends. Just stick out your hand like this," he put his hand into a fist, facing his palm to the ground. He put it up to her nose.

Jaden tried to replicate what Mathias was doing, and Camo sniffed his hand. She then licked it, letting him know it was okay to pet him. He carefully placed his hand on her head and began to scratch. She looked happy, panting and closing her eyes. He let out a chuckle, "She's so cute." He started touching her ears, then scratching her mid-back. She was thoroughly enjoying it.

"Do you have any animals?" Mathias asked.

He shook his head, "No, but I have a stuffed animal named Fluffy. She's a rabbit."

"Ah..." He muttered. He shoved his hands in his pockets, then looked towards the ground. "You should come to my birthday party. My mom said you're new here an' all...Plus you can make new friends."

Jaden's eyes lit up, quickly turning his head to face him, "Oh! When is it? I'm sure Mom will let me." He stood up quickly, wiping the dirt off his pants.

"August 1st," he replied, letting a quirky smile wipe across his face.

The conversation was interrupted by Heather calling out Mathias' name. He faced the voice, then back at Jaden. "We should go see. There's a surprise...I think." He made a hand motion and started walking towards the back of the house. His face turned confused but still followed Mathias.

As soon as Mathias opened the sliding door, a gush of cool air rushed through. Jaden sighed happily, closing his eyes, "There's the air." Mathias let out a giggle and elbowed him. Camo rushed inside along with them.

Kelly and Heather were sitting in the living room, a dog sitting right between Kelly's legs. A Saint Bernard. Jaden saw and gasped loudly, "You have another dog?!" He swiftly turned to face Mathias, puffing up his cheeks, "And it's so cute too, what's up with that?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well... Mom said... Uh," he stuttered, looking towards Heather. She shook her head and waved him over by her. He walked over and sat next to her, Camo following him in the process.

"Come here, kiddo," Kelly said, patting the dog's head. His fur was soft looking, the mixture of dark browns, light browns, and his white fur made him look adorable to Jaden. His paws were so big for a puppy his size. He walked over, feeling a bit anxious again.

"So?" She scratched behind the dog's ears. "What do you think?"

He sat himself down awkwardly next to his mother. "What do you mean?"

"What would you name him?" Heather chimed in.

"Uhm..." Jaden's voice softened. He looked at the dog, doing the technique Mathias showed him earlier. He licked Jaden's hand; a bit more than he should've let him. His fur was rough, yet soft, he drooled profusely, and his tail was heavy as it swayed side to side. The more Jaden looked at him, the more he noticed certain details about him. He then looked at his eyes. They were different.

"His eyes..." He whispered, "His eyes are brown and blue!" Fascination filled his voice, and Kelly laughed in response. He looked deeper into his eyes, his left eye brown, his right blue. He got excited and looked around.

"Neptune!" He chirped, then swung his head down to face him, "Neptune! That's your name!"

"Neptune?" Heather questioned, "How come?"

"Well, I like space a lot. And his blue eye is really pretty and sticks out to me." He ruffled his fur, giving tiny kisses on his forehead.

"I like it." Kelly shrugged, "Neptune it is." She stood up and stretched, ruffling both Jaden and Neptune's heads. "Should we head home?"

Jaden glanced up at Mathias. He looked somewhat sad that it was time for Jaden to leave. He stood up and walked towards him. "I think my mom will let me come over again. Right, Mom?" He looked over towards Kelly.

"Of course," she smiled. "You can always call him too."

"Oh, Kelly," Heather interrupted. "Is Jaden going to Ivory Middle?"

Kelly froze, holding onto Neptune's leash. There was a profound pause in the conversation. She looked at Mathias and Jaden, then looked down, scratching her head, "No, he won't be."

"Ah, okay." She nodded, "Keeping him home-schooled?"

"Only for a bit." She sighed, "I would rather not talk about it. But, thank you for letting me over." She wrapped the leash around Neptune's neck, and slightly tugged at the leash, notifying him to come along to the car. Jaden's happy expression fell slightly. He waved at Mathias and Heather and followed along.

It was quiet on the car ride home besides Neptune's panting. A sharp pain penetrated Jaden's chest. He wanted to ask why so badly. But he knew he wouldn't get an answer. Worried, he turned to Kelly to ask anyway.

"Mom?"

"Yes?" She answered back.

He fiddled with his hands and let out a shaky sigh, "How come I can't go to school like Mathias?"

She exhaled, gripping onto the steering wheel. She stopped at a stop sign, looking at him, "There's a reason. I'm doing it for your safety."

"That's what my mom said too," he muttered. "I didn't like it."

"Well, I'm not her," she stated, continuing to drive.

His eyebrows furrowed, "But, I want to be like other kids and go to school! They wouldn't let me go to school when I was with Mrs. Elbum! My mom wouldn't let me go to school either!"

Kelly, unable to keep her cool, slammed onto the breaks as they arrived at the house. "I am trying to keep you safe!" She shouted. He looked at her, shifting his gaze to his lap. His eyes watered up instantly, letting out soft sniffling sounds. "I'm sorry."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose, unbuckling her seat belt and reaching over to hug him. "I'm sorry, Jaden. I didn't mean to shout." He let out a loud sob and nestled his face into her shoulder, slowly wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry," she repeated, running her hands through his dark hair.

"I'm sorry—I," he hiccupped, "I didn't mean to shout either. I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to, I really didn't—"

She hushed him, "It's not your fault. I understand. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," he muttered. "Can we go see Mama? I want her to see Neptune." He lifted his head up to look at Neptune, his head lowered a bit. Jaden reached over to pet his head, his face instantly lit up. His tail created a loud thumping sound against the seat. Kelly nodded, ruffling his hair once more, and got out of the car. She opened the back seat and grabbed the leash of Neptune's collar.

"Go open the door please," Kelly asked, holding out the car keys for Jaden to grab. He complied and grabbed them from her hand, quickly unlocking the front door. Neptune rushed in the door, almost tripping Jaden and Kelly both.

"Neptune!" He shouted, trying to grab for his leash. Neptune jumped on the couch, right next to Lewis and Thomas. He let out a bark and began to pant.

"Woah," Lewis exclaimed, "that's a dog." He reached his hand over and started petting his head.

Thomas inched away from the dog, letting out a groan. He shoved his hands in his lap, "You know how I feel about dogs."

"Chill out, he's friendly." He grabbed Neptune's face, making him look towards Thomas, speaking in a deeper voice, "I'm friendly, Mr. Anderburg!" He rolled his eyes, looking towards the kitchen as Christina walked out.

"There he is!" She cooed, she made a kissing sound and patted her legs. Neptune ran up to her and sniffed her hands, his tail wagging so hard that his entire body began to wiggle along. She kneeled down, cupping his soft face, "He's so adorable, look at him! His eyes are beautiful."

"I guess, he does have nice colors on him," Thomas responded, almost grumbling. He crossed his arms and stood up. "I have to pick up Timothy though, his car broke down."

"Oh dear...If you want to come back to have a snack, you're more than welcome to," she smiled, looking up at Thomas.

"I might have to. I have to pick up Lewis anyways," he glanced towards Lewis, who was conversing with Jaden and Kelly, "He seems to want to stay."

"That's okay!" She stood up and clasped her hands, "I'll see you then!"

"Lewis, we should take Neptune on a walk!" Jaden said, patting his leg. He looked at Kelly, pleaded, "Can we Mom? Can we?"

"Yeah, only if Lewis wants to." She said, sitting on the couch. She fanned at her face.

Jaden focused on Lewis again, "So?" He started bouncing in one spot, waiting for his response.

Lewis let out a laugh, "Of course. Hopefully, he listens to me."

"Sweet!" He shouted, getting on his shoes again and calling Neptune over. "Let's go, let's go!" Lewis, continuing to laugh, followed him along. He grabbed a hold of his leash, giving him a pat on the head.

"We're off! I'll be back in a few," He said, waving to Christina and Kelly.

"Be safe!" Christina called back.


	6. Storyteller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaden and Lewis take Neptune on a walk. Upon the young boy complaining, he learns some things about the people he's met.

Jaden shuffled his feet through the detritus. The warm, humid breeze passing through his hair. His shoulders were slouched more significantly, his gaze was fixated on the dirt, dust, and pebbles he left behind. He looked up at the sky, the rays of sun beaming down on his face. He let out a grunt, kicking a pebble.

"What's wrong?" Lewis' voice startled the young kid. He pursed his lips for a minute, the idea of not being able to see Miles or Mathias at school flooded his thoughts once more. It wasn't even an idea anymore, it was reality. He wasn't able to make any friends before this milestone in this life, and now that he did, he couldn't even be with them like most kids. It made his heart ache all over again.

"Mom said I'm not going to public school when we were at Ms. Heather's," he muttered, sitting himself down on a bench. He lifted his legs up and began to hug them tightly. "Do you think I did something wrong?"

Lewis hummed, shaking his head, "No, that's Kelly for you. There's a reason for it."

He glanced up at him, "What do you mean by that? Does she not trust me?"

He let out a chuckle, "She trusts you, just not any other kids." He sat next to Jaden, wrapping Neptune's leash around the bench armrest.

He sulked and let out a whine. "It's not fair. I wanna see Miles and Mathias... And I wanna meet other people like me," he shouted, pressing his hand against his chest.

Lewis looked down at his lap, fiddling with his fingers. He let out a long sigh through his teeth and turned towards the pouting child. "Do you really want to know why she's not letting you go?"

"Yes," he shouted back, "there must be a good reason why!"

He didn't respond for a few seconds as he continued to play with his fingers. He could feel his heartbeat in his throat. "Kelly was hurt," he paused, "hurt pretty badly."

Jaden froze, looking at Lewis' serious expression, one that was uncommon for him. He stammered, "W-what do you mean?"

"She was bullied, that's what I mean." He tapped his fingers on the bench, "She was bullied by a lot of people. It ended up changing her a lot, actually. It's why she's so tired, she can't sleep because of it most times." He looked at Jaden with a solemn smile.

Jaden shifted his glance towards his lap. He remembered how he was treated at the home, the many times he was left out of games or activities because no one took the chance to know him. So many times he hid in his room and colored instead of socializing. He remembered Melissa would peer in and asked if he even wanted to talk about it. But what did Kelly have to endure? Somehow, it hurts, even more, to think about his own Mom being hurt than himself.

"How?" He shook his head, "What...Who hurt her?"

"Her own cousin," Lewis responded quickly as he stared off into the trees. "Kelly wouldn't even let her closest friends help her. She hid it."

"Were you her friend?" He asked, completely turning towards him as he was curious to know.

He shook his head, "Barely." He put his finger to his mouth, then nodded, "But I remember one instance, it was in high school. Kelly was in the science lab trying to help others and completely broke down because they were whispering amongst each other about what Alice said. They called her a psychopath or whatever because she was so into biology. She ran out of the lab and wept. It seems stupid to be upset over it, but it's rough what she went through."

"That's horrible..." Jaden's eyes welled up. "She wanted to do what she loved doing the most."

"If only someone told her that," he then rephrased himself, "of course she didn't give up on it. It only made her self-esteem lower...I think that makes sense," he muttered to himself.

They both sat there, letting the sound of the wind pass by them. The sounds of insects chattering became louder. Neptune rested his head on his crossed paws, seemingly asleep on the warm concrete. Jaden leaned towards him, giving him a few pets.

After a few minutes, he gulped down his tears and looked at Lewis, "What about everyone else? What was school like for them?"

"Christina moved to Ivywood just before high school started. She still as sweet as she was." He snickered to himself, "And she always dressed like she was going to a Sunday service." Jaden laughed along with him at the thought of that. "Timothy wasn't much different. He was friends with different people, but we talked from time to time. He didn't like his parents, that's for sure."

"How come?"

"Well," he shifted in his spot, "his parents weren't exactly the best. You see, they liked to travel a lot, which isn't bad, but they left him with his grandparents and forgot about him."

Jaden grimaced slightly upon hearing that sentence, "Were his grandparents at least nice to him?"

"Oh, of course." He let out a snicker, "There are pictures of him dressing in his grandmother's clothes too."

"Pffft," he covered his mouth, letting out a laugh. Seeing Timothy in a dress at such a young age must've been comedy gold to Lewis.

"Oh! What about Thomas?" A smile was brought upon his face.

"Ah, Tom..." Lewis puffed up his cheeks, "Honestly? He wasn't as grumpy as he is now. And you wanna know the cool thing?"

"What?" He sat up on his knees, pure excitement in his voice, "What's cool?"

He whispered with a mocking tone to his voice, "He had a girlfriend."

Jaden let out a gasp, along with a squeal, "Really?!"

Lewis nodded, letting out a chuckle. "Well, I suppose. He still writes poems about her and so on. They were a really great couple."

"What were they like?" He put his hands in his lap.

He stroked his stubble for a moment, deep in thought. "Hm, well... Holly was really gentle towards others, she always brought out the best in people, especially Thomas. He always liked being a tough guy, but she always melted his heart."

"What happened?"

He chuckled slightly, "Ah, you think something happened?"

"Yeah," he shifted in his spot, leaving a pause in his sentence, "cause I would've met her by now...Right?"

"You are right indeed," Lewis said in a voice that seemed to mock any TV show game host. "You've heard of cancer, right?"

He nodded slowly, "My mom was a nurse and my grandma passed away from it."

His silly expression fell into a grim one. He thought about the pain that Thomas went through and how it must've been much more for him, especially at such a young age. He quickly plastered on a fake smile, "At least you know." Jaden let out a quiet "mhm", waiting for Lewis to continue on. "Right...Have you ever heard of ovarian cancer?"

He bit his lip, his eyes darting everywhere, "I don't know much about other cancers..."

"That's okay," he reassured, "that's what Holly had. They found a cyst that area, her ovaries, I mean. It was a little too late. But, with Holly being the optimistic person she is, she still went through with chemotherapy." Jaden remained silent, playing with his delicate fingers. "I've never seen Thomas filled with such emotion," Lewis recalled.

"What was it like?" He asked, "Seeing a friend like that?"

He inhaled sharply. He recalled how Thomas would like to stand strong. However, once she passed, nothing was right. Though his front would remain calm, he could always tell there was more happening on the inside. Especially at her funeral, Lewis remembered tapping his shoulder and Thomas whipping around, terror, panic in his eyes. It was unusual to see him that way.

"It hurt. There was no way to help. We all knew the outcome wasn't going to be pretty, we knew what was going to happen. But, it happens." He paused, tapping his fingers together,

"They did marry while she was in chemo actually."

"Were you invited?" His face lit up a bit hearing about something more positive.

Yes, it was almost 12 years since they were married. It was such a nice day in September. Despite Thomas being deep in despair at the time, he pulled through for Holly. It's why he's still going today, and he was proud of him.

He spoke suddenly, with a slight laugh, "You know, I actually was. It was really nice even though it was small. Timothy was there, so were a couple of others. It was sad it had to end so soon."

"Yeah..." Jaden said, "I remember when my grandma died..."

"How was that for you, kiddo?" Lewis said, giving him a pat on the back.

"Hard," he said in a solemn tone. He turned away from Lewis and dangled his legs off of the bench, "She was the only one who ever loved me. She always had faith in me. Going to her house would always be a vacation for me."

"I know how that feels, you feel like complete shit when they leave—Excuse my language. But hey," Lewis started, "you have Kelly, Christina, Timothy, Thomas, and I. You have a lot of people now who love you a lot." He ruffled Jaden's hair, getting a slight giggle out of him. He looked up at him, giving him a slight grin. His smile then fell for a moment.

"Did you have to deal with that?" He asked, restating his question, "Did you have to deal with a death in the family too?"

Lewis crossed his arms uncomfortably. He wanted to avoid that topic, anything but that one topic. He remembered everything too well and he tried so hard to forget everything. He shook his head, stuttering a bit, "I-I did, yeah."

He recalled standing in the doorway of the hospital when his dad passed. He crossed his arms, refusing to cry. He had spent so much time with him, yet it didn't feel long enough.

They had been through everything together. When his mother left him, his dad did everything to keep him healthy and alive. He was there for him when he went through his own hard times. He let his addiction hurt him, he let it take over. He was almost in the same place as him, but...

"I'm sorry, Lewis," the nurse stated, interrupting his thoughts. Her eyes didn't dare to meet with his, "He's gone."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying his best to control his breathing. "Can I have a moment?" He asked, his voice a bit cold.

"Of course," putting the clipboard underneath her arm, she swiftly walked out of the room.

He loomed over his hospital bed. He held onto his hand softly, his sickly pale skin still a bit warm. Somehow, tears wouldn't come out. He was numb, and he felt guilty for not being able to show emotion correctly.

"You did well, Dad," he whispered, letting go of his hand. He ran his hand through his gray, dry hair, raising his voice only slightly, "Thank you for everything."

Jaden tapped him, "Lewis?"

He snapped out of it, as the concerned kid startled him. He looked at him with scared eyes, letting out a "huh".

"Are you okay?" He questioned, "You kind of spaced out..."

"Yeah, I'm okay." He peered down, checking his phone. "We should go, Neptune probably needs to go home."

"Oh, yeah," Jaden let out a weak chuckle.

They both got off of the bench, waking up Neptune to finally head back home. He awoke from a deep sleep, ruffling his warm fur as he got up. Jaden grabbed hold of his leash and led the way home. Lewis remained silent, his hands shoved in his pockets, his lips glued shut. It's like he didn't want to talk anymore. It worried Jaden, but he knew better. He tried to focus on Neptune, but the guilt was eating him up.

After a few minutes, he mustered up the courage to blurt something out.

"Lewis?" He stopped in his tracks, gripping onto Neptune's leash.

Lewis faced the kid behind him, painting a smile on his face, "What's up?"

"I want you to know that you're like an uncle to me." He smiled, walking in front of him, "You're like the cool uncle I've always wanted!"

He stood there, with his hands in his pockets still. He blinked a couple of times. "Thanks, kid," he gave him another hair ruffle. Hearing his giggle filled his heart with joy. "You're the nephew I've always wanted."

They continued to walk on down the dirt path. Jaden glanced up at him once more, asking, "Can I call you Uncle Lewis?"

"Sure, whatever you're comfortable with," he let out a hearty laugh. He seemed to have a genuine smile on his face now, which filled the boy with a sense of joy.

"I wanna call you, Thomas, and Timothy that!" He shouted, waving his hands in the air. "Do you think that'd be cool?"

A smirk wiped across Lewis' face. After all, they did act like brothers sometimes. Thomas was for sure the eldest, while Timothy and Lewis were the younger ones...It was harder to tell who was the absolute youngest when it came to personality. "They may not understand, but I think it fits."

He giggled to himself, grasping onto Neptune's leash tightly. "I'm going through with it," he stated.

The rest of the walk home was spent learning about Lewis' love of art. He explained how it started out with graffiti on an abandoned house in the woods of his hometown. It gradually grew when he moved to Ivywood. He expressed how grateful he was to move here. He seemed to avoid any details about his life before he moved, which was odd to Jaden.

As they arrived at the house, Lewis stood in front of the door, blocking his path. He faced it for a minute, letting out a barely audible sigh. He turned around, "Do me a favor. Please keep what we talked about a secret for a bit." He gave the kid a weak smile.

A worried feeling was in his stomach, "I'll try my best." It didn't feel right to keep it a secret from his mothers.

"Thank you once again," he replied, opening the door to Jaden's house. The cool air hit them both in the face. Neptune essentially flew inside, searching for his water bowl.

Jaden turned his attention towards the kitchen, spotting his foster mothers.

Kelly was sitting at the table with her head in her hands. Christina had her hands on her shoulders, rubbing them slightly. She bent down to give her a kiss on the side of her head. Kelly looked back up at her, reaching her hand up towards her fiancée's face. Jaden couldn't hear, but Kelly's lips seemed to say the words "thank you". Her hand then gently fell down, shifting her focus back towards the table.

He walked up to Kelly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze. Christina looked down at them, resting her hand on his arm as he continued to hug her.

"Are you okay?"

His eyes teared up and he nestled his face into her soft, blonde hair. "I love you both," his voice slightly cracked.


	7. August 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Mathias' birthday and his mother invites over his two friends, leaving him a little surprised.

Mathias faced himself in the mirror. He tried to neatly comb his honey brown hair but struggled to tame his curly bedhead. He buttoned up his blue and white flannel, groaning a bit. His mother had told him to dress up, as he had guests coming over.

It was his birthday, he was finally turning 12. He was going to enter his teenage years soon...The ones that parents would worry about. That only meant high school was just around the corner. Of course, he had a knot in his stomach and his palms contained sweat, as any kid would have. But he had a sense of confidence more than most of his friends.

He thought about who would show up for today. It could've been the kid with round glasses who met him while at Melissa's home. It could've been the boy with the bandage on his nose he met when he found the lost dog. They were the people he knew fairly well despite not hanging out with them too much.

He let out a sigh, backing up to the edge of his bed, plummeting his back on the rest of it. He ran his hands through his hair. He needed something to pass time. He glanced over at his shelf, grabbed one of his comic books and started sifting through the pages.

Heather opened the door of her house, recognizing her son's two friends eagerly holding presents for him. Miles and Jaden both smiled as their mothers stood behind them. They all waved to each other. She let out a chuckle, opening the door more, "Hey, come in, everyone."

They stepped in the house, everyone taking their shoes off before the kids. Jaden glanced around, recalling how he was here almost a month ago. He felt happier that the house had central air, cooling him off from the beaming sun rays that were outside. Kelly and Heather started chatting up a storm, while Christina and Dawn both carried their food trays over to the counter.

"Where's Mathias?" Jaden quietly asked, tapping Heather's arm, having to look up significantly.

"Ah," she scratched the back of her head, pointing to the living room, "he's upstairs."

"I can show you!" Miles shouted, raising the tiny box in the air. He kicked off his shoes, using his one foot to neatly line them up after doing so. Jaden did the same.

Miles ran into the living room, running past the couch and TV, up to the stairs, his friend struggling to follow behind.

Arriving upstairs, Jaden was nearly tackled by Camo. He grabbed onto the railing of the stairs to keep balance as he was startled by the black lab. She repetitively hopped up and down and sniffed him, waiting to be acknowledged.

"Wow, she really likes you," Miles said, backing away from her.

He let out a shaky sigh, putting his present on the wooden floor, "Yeah! It's so nice." He ran his fingers through her jet black fur. He loved feeling her fur, it was soft and cold from her being in the house.

He cleared his throat, "We gotta see Mathias! He's probably waiting for us."

Jaden got up from his spot, picking the present back up, setting it under his arm. He swallowed his anxiety and nodded, "Sorry about that."

Miles pounded on Mathias' bedroom door with a shout, "Let me in, Matt!"

The door swung open, forcing him to move out of the way. Mathias glanced at both of them and exhaled loudly. He looked relieved but seemed a bit peeved. Jaden took a step back as he saw him and he could feel his face getting warm as he fixed his hair.

"Hey!" Miles beamed, his smile seeming more smug than usual.

He let out a groan, running his hands through his hair, "It's open, you don't have to do that, Miles."

"It's my routine," he stated, "and if I don't do it, somethin' is bound to go wrong."

He rolled his eyes with a smile. "Whatever you think. Come in though!"

Jaden and Miles entered his small room, Camo following along and jumping onto his bed. It had the look that it was just cleaned. It also had a very modern feel to it. Jaden took note of almost everything in the room. His black and white tartan sheets, the white lamp, the way the curtains let in the August sunlight, the comic-book filled shelf—

"You got any new comic books?" Miles flung the present onto his bed. It nearly bounced off, Mathias quickly catching it. Jaden stood in the doorway, studying the two interact with each other. Miles seemed a lot more relaxed and casual around him.

"No," he shook the box, a jingling sound rang throughout the room, "careful with your gifts though!" He set it down on his nightstand, scratching his nose, shifting his glance towards Jaden. "You can sit down anywhere you want."

Miles had plucked out a comic book, sitting down at Mathias' desk that was crammed by the window. "You should open the gifts now, I wanna see your face when you open that gift," he nodded towards the box once more.

"You should!" Jaden smiled politely, sitting down on a black bean bag chair right by his bed. He handed Mathias the gift, their hands touching slightly.

"Alright, alright."

Mathias sat in the center of his bed with both gifts in front of him. He chose to open Miles' gift first. It was wrapped so flawlessly and had no visible tape on it. Of course, it was wrapped well, Dawn was his mother after all. He tore into the present neatly, revealing a box.

"A box?" He questioned, a smirk wiping across his face, "Miles, you shouldn't have!"

Miles rolled his eyes, removing his focus from the comic book, "You're stupid. Open the box."

"Jeez, I was joking," he snickered. He opened the top of the box, his smirk quickly changed to a bright smile, "No way." He let out a chuckle, "You got me a whole bunch of pennies?"

Miles started laughing along at the expression he had on his face. "I know you like collecting pennies! There might be other coins in there. My mom searched everywhere and you know how it is."

The laughter died down after Mathias took notice that he hadn't opened the gift Jaden got for him. The box was a bit smaller, almost flat. He studied it for a minute before tearing into the paper. Yet again, a box. He took the top off and inside was a black lab pin.

"It's a—" he paused, looking at the cute cartoon dog face, "it's a dog pin." His voice was in awe.

The freckled boy's face became bright red as their eyes met. His lips quivered as he tried to speak clearly, "D-do you like it?

"Of course I do," he stared at the pin, taking it off of the styrofoam. He carefully put it in his shirt, having to reach under it to put the backing on. He adjusted it, smiling brightly. He then reached for the box of pennies again, grabbing a box from his nightstand, pouring the pennies in there in a separate pile. He sifted through them to find a piece of paper with scribbles all over it.

While Miles and Mathias conversed bath and forth, Jaden felt giddy being in the presence of both of his friends, a wide smile planted on his face. They brought so much energy to the room. The way they interact was comedic to him, like two comedic relief characters in a sitcom, and he adored that.

"Hey," Jaden quietly chirped, "when did you guys meet?"

"That's an odd question," Mathias spoke, checking the dates on the pennies.

"Shut up," Miles hissed, "that's not odd at all. But do you actually want to know?"

"Of course!" He folded his hands over his lap, adjusting the position he was in.

"A'ight," Mathias put down his gift, the coins rattling inside, "I'll tell." He cleared his throat, looking up at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts. "Miles and I met when we were pretty young. I was recently removed from a bad situation at the time because of my birth-mom," his face wrinkled up for a moment, letting out a huff, "and I was put into Melissa's group home. And it was hard to get used to."

Jaden's heart ached upon hearing that, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish we could've all met at the same time."

"Heh, yeah," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Miles was the first person I kind of... Let in after that. He's really changed, actually! He actually went by a different name and looked different. He had long hair and wore—"

Miles tore his focus from the comic book, pushing up his circle glasses with a raised eyebrow. He cleared his throat and Mathias noticed his glare, continuing on, "But, uh, Miles was one of my first friends! So, he's a lot relaxed around me."

"Wow," Jaden's shoulders lifted up with happiness, "that's so great! I wanna be a part of this friend group!"

Mathias and Miles exchanged looks quickly, then back at Jaden. He sunk in the beanbag chair, shifting his focus to his lap instead. He fiddled with the edge of his shirt.

"You're always welcome," Mathias said. Miles nodded along with his statement, closing the comic book that was in front of him.

"I—" Jaden hesitated. He didn't want to make it all about him, it wasn't his day. But he wanted them to know in case they had their hopes up. He mustered up the courage with a swallow, "I won't be going to school with you guys."

There was silence between all of them. The sound of Camo breathing and the air vents could be heard. Mathias let out a shaky sigh. "I know," he responded with sorrow, "but hey, Miles and I will visit all the time. We can do a group phone call or something when we're doing homework too. There are ways to stay in contact."

"I'll always keep you updated on the happenings in school," Miles giggled to himself. "But we'll all stay in contact. You were a part of this friend group the moment you walked into this room!"

"I promise," Mathias looked at the both of them, "we won't lose contact with each other." He waved them both over, sticking out his pinky.

Miles and Jaden walked over, interlocking pinkies with Mathias. They simultaneously said "pinky promise", giggling together after. The newly formed group of friends continued to share stories throughout the day, finding it a bit hard to go home when the time came around.


	8. How Come?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaden wakes up with an anxiety-induced stomachache over his mother. He decides to talk to Christina about it to find out what happened.

The young boy woke up with a knot in his stomach. He stirred in his bed, curling up in the fetal position to get rid of the pain. He strained his neck to see the end of his bed, only to meet eyes with a sad Neptune. "Come here, Nep," he said with a hoarse voice.

The sleepy Saint Bernard brought himself closer, spinning in circles to find a comfy position to curl up in. He nuzzled himself under Jaden's arm, putting his back against him. His arm sank into his soft coat, filling him with a sense of warmness. He ran his fingers through it, making the dog sway his tail only slightly. It made him feel better, but he had the nagging thought about what happened between Kelly and Alice. Maybe he needed breakfast to combat this stomachache, so he took himself and Neptune downstairs after a few moments of cuddling.

He tip-toed to the kitchen, only to find Christina there, humming along to a song that was playing on her phone. Her hair was in a ponytail today, it swayed along as she chopped up vegetables for breakfast.

"Mama?" Jaden called out, peaking out from behind the wall.

Christina turned around, her face brightening up as she saw him. "Jaden! Good morning, sunflower!" She set down the knife, wiping her hands on her apron, then taking it off. She walked up to him, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Oh, dear. You feel like you're burning up," she mumbled, placing the back of her hand on it.

"I don't feel so good," he said, wrapping his arms around her thin waist. "I'm so worried..."

"Let me cook up some omelets and we can talk about it, okay? But first, go take your temperature. The thermometer should be in the hallway closet." Her voice was gentle and soothing to the concerned boy's ears. "Could you feed Neptune while you're at it too?"

He nodded, going into the hallway closet near the bathroom to find his food. He brought it over to the food bowl back in the kitchen, pouring in a cup and a half. He shoved the bag into the closet, then grabbing the thermometer. He put it in his mouth, waiting for the beep. He checked it, only 99 degrees. Not a fever from what he remembered hearing from his birth-mother. He drowsily made his way back to the table.

"What was your temp?" She asked, wringing her hands.

He let out a cough to clear his throat, "Only 99."

"Well, it might be the start of a fever," she muttered. "Try to take it easy, okay?"

"I'll try my best."

Jaden listened to Christina's music along with her as she whipped up omelets for the two of them. Her singing was beautiful and he felt as if he was watching a performance. She seemed to be good at everything, from cooking, to singing, to making everyone feel better. He slipped into a happy daze, closing his eyes, his worries drifting away only for a split second.

His eyes snapped open as she placed a plate in front of him, the smell of cooked eggs, vegetables, and cheese filled his nose. He couldn't help but smile and dig in before Christina had the chance to sit down with him.

"You said you were worried a bit ago," she said, cutting into her food. "Is everything alright?"

He swallowed his food and after came the lump in his throat, "Yeah, uhm...Is Mom okay?"

"She's a bit tired today. She couldn't sleep very well last night," Christina said gloomily. "She'll be up soon, don't worry." She painted a smile on her face, but Jaden wouldn't take the answer.

"No, I meant," he stopped mid-sentence, recalling that he wouldn't tell them anything about what Lewis said. He was guilt drenched each time he saw Kelly, and distractions could only help so much. "Lewis told me what happened to her in middle school," he whispered, picking at his food.

Christina's eyes widened, setting down her silverware on the plate. She looked around the kitchen, letting out a soft, shaky sigh, meeting eyes with Jaden once more. "I'm sorry you had to hear it from him," she lowered her head slightly.

"What?" He asked. The knot in his stomach was twisting more by the moment.

She rubbed at her chest, "For not communicating these things to you. You should've known.

"It's okay," he reassured, "even if I don't understand, I want to help."

"The best you can do is be there for her," her smile quivered while playing with her shiny ring. "That's the reason why we agreed to keep you homeschooled for middle school."

"I know..." He muttered, his eyes trailed to his lap. It knawed at his heart, to know it even hurt Christina too. "What happened? Why wasn't it ever fixed?"

"Alice is a very stubborn person. She's a great person now, but my, she was truly hard to crack as a teen," she chuckled, letting out a sniffle. "She was also a very jealous person. She envied the way Kelly received attention in school for her perfect grades."

"And she spread the rumors?" His shoulders slumped, trying once more to eat his omelet.

"Yeah," she nodded with sorrow, "people do horrible things when they're angry. But, I forgive Alice, and so does your Mom...She's just struggling with the aftermath."

"Do you think they'll ever talk again?" He questioned, shoving food in his mouth.

"I hope—"

The sound of creaking stairs was heard by Christina. She swiftly got up, grabbing a cup from the cupboard, pouring fresh coffee in it.

Kelly walked into the kitchen. She seemed sluggish, more dazed, as she was slightly slouched. The bags under her eyes grew a bit overnight, and her hair was slightly messier. She walked over to Jaden, giving his hair a ruffle, "Mornin', kiddo."

"H-hey," he stuttered.

"Good morning, hun," Christina said, placing a fresh cup of coffee in her hands. "You feeling okay?"

"Damn medication makes me so tired," she said with a groan, then taking a sip from the cup. "Thank you though. You always make it right." She managed to curl the corners of her lip into a smile, albeit a very slight one.

"I know, you're so strong though. I'm really proud of you for reaching out." She beamed, bringing in Kelly for a peck. She inhaled deeply, placing a hand on her arm. Her eyes trailed to Jaden, then back at Kelly, "Jaden's worried about you."

Kelly turned her attention towards him as he was scraping bits of food into his mouth. "Me?" She scoffed, "There's no reason for him to be, I'm okay."

"No, we need to talk to him," she shook her head. "He needs to hear what's going on from you," she emphasized. Kelly looked down at the ground, blinking a bit before nodding, "Okay."

They both sat down where Christina was sitting. Jaden put his plate in the sink, grabbing a box of apple juice from the fridge, sitting himself down in his spot once more.

"Hey kiddo," she let a quick smile slip. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright...Just worried."

"What are you exactly worried about?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrow.

"Uhm, well, uh," Jaden's stuttering trailed off as he played around with the straw. "Lewis told me..."

"Told you?"

"About Alice," he gulped, "your cousin and what she did."

She let out a grumble, hunching over her coffee cup, "Of course he did."

He only managed to let out, "I'm sorry..." He dug the nail of his thumb into the palm of his hand under the table, biting the dead skin on his lip.

Kelly rubbed her eyes, quickly drawing in breath to calm herself. "No no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that." She looked at him, "It's not your fault, kiddo."

"I kept complaining about missing out with school," he brought his hand up to continue picking at his lip. "I didn't know. You were just trying to protect me." The lump in his throat formed once more, making his lip quiver.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." She folded her arms after taking a drink from her cup, "I'm embarrassed about what happened."

"Why? You didn't do anything," he said.

"I feel weak, kiddo. I felt like I could've been stronger, but I guess I'm not as tough as I seem. There's really no better way to describe it." She tapped her fingers on the table rhythmically, "My brain isn't so nice to me in times like these."

"But you are strong!" He retaliated with a shout.

Kelly sleepily chuckled, giving Christina a look. He was a determined kid for sure, full of positivity and hopefulness. She nodded, "You can tell him. He wants to help."

She closed her eyes, letting out a soft humming sound. "It's hard to explain."

"Just explain what you experienced," she softly rubbed Kelly's back.

"It started in middle school if I recall correctly," she tapped her thumbs together. "Alice and I were cousins, but we were also great friends. We would always hang out and talk about science. Somewhat the thing that brought us joy. Dawn brought us together too, she was like the glue of our friendship. But, I liked to dive into science fairs and I would get these nice awards." She let out a sigh, "Uh, I started getting more and more attention for it. Alice didn't like it and she tried sabotaging my image."

"What did she do?" He asked once more. "I know she would spread rumors, but what kind?"

"She would say stuff like I'm a psychopath or something cause I was dissecting animals for school projects and wasn't grossed out by it as if she wasn't the same way." She rolled her eyes, sipping her coffee, "She also would poke fun at me because of my weight, extremely petty stuff like that. I've heard she's changed, but I'm afraid."

"Oh..." Jaden sat up from his seat, his focus shifted away from his mothers. He walked over to Kelly, wrapping his arms around her. She froze for a second, setting her cup down. She turned towards him, returning the hug back to him.

She muttered under her uneven breath, letting a sniffle out, "I just want you to be safe," her voice cracked, making Jaden pull away quickly.

"Oh honey," Christina muttered, rubbing Kelly's back once more. "It's okay."

Kelly hid face with her hands and from what Christina and Jaden could see, she was almost beet red, "I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I want him to be okay."

"I'll be okay, Mom," Jaden tried to reassure once more, but Kelly shook her head, uncovering her face.

"I don't want you to be hurt, but I feel like I'm only hurting you more by doing this. I want to see you grow up to be a wonderful young man who is strong and just as bubbly as you are now." Her cheeks were stained with tears. Her heart ached with worry for her son, "It's not going to be okay."

"Mom, it's okay!" He said, grabbing her hands that were covered by her sleeves. "We can spend more time together and you can teach me to be strong like you!"

"Your friends though," She started, looking into his brown, cheerful eyes.

"We can invite them over! I can call them, right?" He turned his head toward Christina, who was still trying to ease Kelly.

"Of course." Christina smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind Kelly's ear, "There's always positives to everything, Kell. I know he seemed mad about it before, but it's going to be okay. There's always high school too."

She nodded, looking back in her lap. "Right. Does that sound okay? You head to public school when high school starts for you. You'd be perfectly situated here and well enough to take it on."

"Really?!" He jumped in the air, a warm feeling filling his heart. "I can seriously go?!"

"Of course," she smiled. "You can be with Mathias and Miles. They'll be able to protect you then."

"Thank you!" He brought Kelly into a hug once more, a warm feeling filling her chest. There was something so uplifting about him, something so comforting about him.

"Would you like me to make you something?" Christina chimed in, running her hands through Kelly's hair. "You need to eat well, especially with what you're taking."

"I'd appreciate it..." She muttered.

"What would you like?"

"Surprise me," she smirked. "I'll be in the living room."

Jaden jumped out of Kelly's arms as she got up, "I wanna help!"

"Okay!" She clapped her hands together. She leaned over to Jaden, whispering in his ear, "We're gonna make her one of her favorite foods, okay?" He nodded with a big grin on his face.

Christina gave him a list of ingredients to collect around the kitchen. Milk, flour, eggs, butter, salt, chocolate chips...The list went on. He grabbed bowls and utensils, setting it on the counter for her. She instructed him on how to prepare chocolate chip pancakes, a favorite of Kelly's. His eyes lit up at every movement she made, she was so graceful and careful with what she did, even as simple as pouring dry ingredients. She gave him advice about cooking in-between steps, "Lumpy batter can be a good thing, you don't want to overmix!"

She poured the batter into the pan, the butter hissing as a reaction. Jaden looked up at Christina, rocking on his heels. "Hey, Mama?"

"Yes?" She hummed.

"How come Mom takes medication?" He tilted his head, "Is it because she's sick?"

"Hmm," she placed a finger on her chin, "I wouldn't say that...Remember how she said that she thinks bad thoughts a lot?"

"Yeah?" He leaned on the counter, carefully watching the pancakes cook. "Is she depressed?"

"She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a bit ago," she flipped the pancake in the air. "She has really bad mood swings that can last quite a bit. But she does struggle with depression, that's one of the side effects."

"Ah...Will she be better soon?" He asked.

"I believe so," she looked towards him with a soft and kind smile, the one that filled him with hope and joy.

After cooking it, Christina carefully plated the pancakes, letting Jaden top it with a small swirl of whipped cream. They both looked at each other with a bright grin. "I'll take it to her!" Jaden exclaimed, grabbing the plate.

He walked into the living room, making sure the pancakes didn't fall off the plate. "Close your eyes!"

"Alright," Kelly said with a chuckle. "You have me excited."

He set down the plate in her lap, clasping his hands together with a wide smirk on his face, "Okay, open!"

She opened her eyes, looking down with a laugh escaping her lips. "Oh jeez, you really didn't have to go all out..."

"Mama did it all," he said with a giggle, hugging Christina's side.

Her stare lingered on the both of them before looking at her plate once more. "That's sweet of both of you," she herself a slice, shoving it in her mouth. The two sat alongside her as she devoured her food. After she finished and cleaned up her plate, they all sat back down and watched the morning news.

The golden light poured through the windows, a slight warm breeze moving the curtains. Kelly looked to her right. Christina's head was rested on her shoulder, her arms wrapped around her upper arm. Her eyes were closed and content, a faint smile was formed. She turned to her left. Jaden was huddled up next to her as he carefully listened, asking questions every few minutes about what was on TV. Neptune accompanied the young boy on his lap, wagging his tail softly each time he received a pet.

She was content, happy, it was going to be okay in the end. No matter what she had to face, her family would be by her side. Nothing made her more excited about the future than that.

She wrapped her arms around both of them. "I love you guys a lot," she paused. "Thank you."


	9. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather and Dawn stop by upon hearing Kelly's panic attack from a few days back. While Mathias, Miles, and Jaden hang out, the adults discuss what may have been the reason why.

Jaden laid upside down on the couch, his head touching the ground. The blood rushed to his head and he felt the tingling sensation. His face scrunched up as he attempted to sit up, a long sigh escaping his lips as he shifted his focus back on the clock. It was a matter of time before his friends arrived, but it felt like all day. He had his schoolwork finished way before they were done with school. There was nothing left to do besides helping Christina with daily work, and even that was finished too early for his liking.

He hopped down on the floor, going on the ground with Neptune, looking into his tired puppy eyes. He slowly blinked along with him as he placed his head on his hands. Soon enough, he was in a limbo of sleeping and being awake.

Jaden quickly jolted awake as there was a knock on his front door. He scurried to his feet, opening it swiftly. His two friends were in front of him, Miles and Mathias. They both had their backpacks on and looked rather well-dressed. He looked up, there stood Heather and Dawn behind them.

"Hi! Come in!" Jaden exclaimed, balling up his fists with excitement as everyone walked in. He trailed behind his friends, who were both slouched and sleepy at this point. "How was it?!"

"Exhausting," Mathias sighed, walking in and kicking off his shoes. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking towards his ecstatic friend. "I've never been so tired..."

"Me too," Miles yawned as he rubbed his eyes, his circular glasses moving up a touch, "I couldn't sleep the night before. I was so excited yet anxious."

"Aww..." Jaden groaned. Then, his eyes lit up as an idea popped in his head. "Do you guys wanna play video games? Uncle Lewis gave me an old laptop of his! It came with a couple of games too."

"Sure!" They both said with a grin, their eyes lighting up. The tiredness seemed to escape their bodies at that moment as they all ran upstairs.

Jaden popped his head into Christina's room with a smile, "Mama!"

"Yes?" Her voice called out. Her room was empty, with no trace of Christina or Kelly to be seen. A frown appeared on his face. He shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Miles and Mathias are here!" He responded. As he was about to leave, he popped his head back in once more, "So are Ms. Heather and Ms. Gryder!"

"Thank you!" She shouted back. She was in the bathroom with Kelly, who was hunched over the toilet. She pushed her hair back, letting out a groan. A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead.

"Do you want to stay in bed?" She dabbed Kelly's forehead with a damp cloth, concern filling her voice. "Dawn and Heather want to talk, but they can stop by later if you're seriously not feeling well."

She shook her head, trying to catch her breath, "No, I didn't even vomit. I think this medicine is making me sick."

"Well," she washed off the cloth in the sink, "did you eat this morning?"

"No," she tried to stand up, leaning against the wall, "I've been in bed all day."

"That may be why, you know you need to eat at least three times a day with it." Christina turned to look at her, grabbing hold of her hand. "Let's go eat, okay?"

As the two walked out of their room, Christina peeked her head into Jaden's room. Mathias, Miles, and Jaden were huddled around the laptop Lewis had given him. Jaden's laugh boomed throughout the room as Mathias talked about what happened at school. Miles tried to keep their focus on the video game they were currently playing.

A warm sensation filled her chest, the corners of her mouth rising into a soft smile. She turned to Kelly, patting her back. They headed downstairs, where Heather and Dawn were waiting. Kelly leaned against the railing of the stairs as she looked at her friends and fiancee. The three people who had her back were in front of her eyes. She let out a sigh. Even though they've seen her through her worst, she felt bad that they had to continue to see her like this.

"Good afternoon!" Christina exchanged hugs with them, walking them into the kitchen. She brushed her hair behind her ear, putting a polite smile on her face. "Do you guys want anything to eat? I'm making Kelly something."

"Uh, well," Heather scratched the back of her neck, then adjusting her ponytail, "coffee would be nice. I don't mind makin' it if you point out where everything is."

"I got it", Kelly walked to one of the cupboards above the sink. "Just make yourselves comfortable." She stood on her toes, trying to reach the coffee bag, sugar, and creamer. She successfully got them all, starting to prepare the coffee as Christina grabbed some eggs and butter to prepare scrambled eggs.

"So, how is Jaden doing with homeschooling?" Dawn asked, sitting down at the table. She placed her head on her hands. Her hair became tangled in her index finger as she twirled it.

"Oh!" Christina turned around with a huge smile on her face, "It was wonderful. It was fairly quick too."

"That's good," Dawn returned the smile, looking in Kelly's direction. "Uh, so, may I ask what happened a bit ago?"

Kelly halted in her tracks. Right, about what happened...She walked towards Christina, whispering in her ear. She nodded, giving her a pat on the back. Kelly, demeanor now more nervous, walked back to making coffee for the four of them. Her hands shook as she placed the cups on the counter.

"I'll tell you in a second if you don't mind," she said, whisking the eggs together.

As Christina served the four of them food, and Kelly gave them their coffee, they dug in. It was silent for a bit, feeling like an awkward family reunion of some sort. Kelly's eyes wandered around the table, seeing if anyone wanted to speak up first. "So...About what happened," her voice was a bit weak and she took a sip of coffee.

"Oh, yes. Christina told me you had a panic attack?" Dawn said, folding her hands together on the table. Her focus was completely on the topic as she pushed away her plate of food.

"Yeah, I guess. It's been a bit," she muttered. "I should've seen it coming, honestly."

Dawn shook her head with a sweet smile, her wavy hair flowing with her movement, "That's okay. Do you know what led up to it?"

"I don't know to be quite honest. I was talking to Jaden about school and...Well...I guess that could be it."

Heather chimed in, waving her fork around, "You think it's because of the whole Alice situation?"

"Honestly...Yeah. I should be over it, I really shouldn't be holding back my own son because of my own fears," she put her head in her hands. Christina reached her hand over and began rubbing her back. She gave her a kiss on the side of her head, "It's alright, hun." She really knew how to melt some of her anxiety away.

"She didn't treat you very well and it's understandable why you would fear that for him. Kids are mean, kids are cruel," Heather shoved eggs in her mouth after that statement, leaving Kelly to nod along. "But, it might be better for him to stay at home and get used to this life before he heads into school."

"He has been home-schooled for almost his whole life," Dawn recalled. "Do you ever plan on letting him go to a public school any time soon, though? He might need that, especially when he's a teen! He can't be isolated forever, it's unhealthy."

Christina smiled, looking at Dawn, "Well, they agreed that high school would be the time he can enter public school. Mathias and Miles could help him out and he can meet new friends."

"Oh!" Dawn clapped her hands together, her gentle smile forming into an overjoyed one, "That sounds so wonderful! I bet they'd all be attached at the hip just like how some of us were." Her expression faltered and everyone caught attention of it.

"What's wrong?" Heather nudged her, concern filling her voice.

"It's that, well," she stopped mid-sentence, fiddling with her lilac poncho. She gulped and crossed her legs, "I talked to Alice recently."

Kelly responded, her throat nearly tensing up, "And?"

"She wants to talk to you again, Kell."

"Sh-She does?" Her shoulders fell a bit, frantically looking at everyone around the table. "Is this a joke?"

Dawn shook her head, "No no, she wants to make things right again. She misses you a lot and she's been thinking a lot about things."

Kelly sighed, placing a hand on her own chest to contain her emotions. A feeling of relief and anxiety flooded her chest. The sweat started to form on her forehead, or it at least felt like it. "Is that a bad thing? You think it's okay?"

"I think it'd be wonderful," she outstretched her hand, grabbing Kelly's. Her soft smile wiped across her face again, "You need the closure and to let go of the past. Even if you don't forgive her, it'll make it easier to cope with all of this."

"I-I do forgive her. I didn't know she missed me, I would've-I would've..." Her head began to feel light and she tried to relax her breathing. She then restated her question, "You're serious?"

"I am serious," she laughed a bit. "Listen, give her a call or something soon. I'm sure she'll be so overjoyed."

"So, she's changed?" Heather crossed her arms, looking toward Dawn. "I'll take your word for it, but how so?"

"She's been taking up lots of therapy, well, she has been for a while...But, she's been trying to better herself and has been ever since she was 20." Dawn cleared her throat and her voice became soft as she recalled a memory, "When we talked for the first time after I moved back from college, she broke down and cried in my arms the entire time. She felt horrible for how she treated all of you..."

She looked around, her arms still tightly crossed. She exhaled loudly, fixing her ponytail and re-positioning herself, "I guess I should forgive her sometime too, huh?"

"Well, you don't have to. It might make things better," she quietly replied, running her fingers through her own hair.

She shook her head, "No. I need to learn to forgive. If she's seriously changing for the better, then I'm okay with that."

The adults took notice of the sound of the kids running down the stairs, the three of them talking to each other at once. They suddenly fell silent, until Miles looked at Mathias with a pout on his face. "Do we really have to watch this on the TV?"

"Yeah! We gotta," Mathias responded.

Miles rolled his eyes, "What's going to make it any different if we watch it on Jaden's laptop?"

"The quality!" He answered, grabbing ahold of Miles' shoulders, attempting to shake him. He was promptly shoved off, the two going back and forth in conversation. They walked over to the couch and made themselves comfortable. Jaden trailed over to the kitchen, peeking his head in, "Mom?"

"Yeah?" Kelly responded, tapping her fingers against the table.

"Can Mathias, Miles, and I watch TV down here? We won't bother you guys." He showed a wide grin, "Please?"

She shook her head with a smile, "Alright. Don't be too loud."

"Thank you!" He ran up to her, giving her a big hug. She returned the hug, giving him a small kiss on the side of his head, ruffling the top of his head. He held onto her arm, nearly hopping up and down on his tip-toes, "Is it okay if we have some chips?"

"Sure," she replied with a nod. "Just make sure they don't leave too many crumbs on the couch."

"Thanks again, Mom!" Jaden trailed over to the cabinet, grabbing a bag of chips and going to the living room. He popped in his head once more, waving to all of the adults. They waved back, laughing to themselves. Kelly shook her head as she looked back at everyone.

Kelly furrowed her eyebrow, "What?"

Heather took a sip of her coffee, crossing her legs, "You worry about being a good mother and you already are one. You're so hard on yourself, Kell."

She rolled her eyes, then felt the warmth of Christina's hand on her own. She looked at her, feeling the corners of her mouth rise into a soft smile. A genuine one at that. Heather was right, she was a good mother and she had to believe in herself for once. No matter how much she had been through, she did it all for him and Christina.

Time had passed, the adults discussing life and recalling memories in the kitchen, while the kids quietly watched their shows on the television. The sky went from a light blue to a deep orange, the clouds strung across it. Dawn rose from the table, sighing, "I think it's time to head home. I need to cook dinner for Miles and I'm sure Eric is home by now..."

Heather nodded her head, stretching her arms in the air, letting out soft grunting sounds. "Hmm, me too." She stood up from her chair, cracking her knuckles, "It was nice talking like this again. I understand we've been busy, but I miss this."

"Ah, same here," Christina said. She went over to hug the two of them tightly and Kelly trailed behind her.

"Uhm, thank you," Kelly muttered, her fingernails dug into the palm of her hand.

Heather chuckled, patting her shoulder, "Hey, it's not a problem. We're all here for you. We always have been." She crossed her arms, "Just practice learning not to be so hard on yourself. Especially with what you've been through."

"For sure!" Dawn chimed in with a nod of her head. "If you need any self-care tips, you always have my phone number," she chirped, waving around her phone.

"Right," Kelly smiled.

The four of them walked into the living room where the three kids sat. However, they were peacefully asleep as the TV played the commercial break. Mathias' face was barely being held up by his hand, his snores escaping his lips and Jaden's head was carefully placed on his shoulder. Miles was holding his legs, face and the rest of his body pressed up against the armrest of the couch.

Dawn covered her mouth, her eyes tearing up as she whispered, "They look like peaceful angels..."

"Heh, they really do." Heather shook her head, nudging Kelly's shoulder, "You think they'll be like this forever?"

Kelly let out a weak laugh, looking at the three of them. Deep inside, she hoped he didn't have to go through the same thing she had to go through when he entered public school. While it was still years away, it felt like it'd happen tomorrow. She shook away her fears, remembering to focus on the moment. She looked at her son, comfortable enough to fall asleep with his friends.

"I hope so."


End file.
